Florian Meindl is a DJ, producer and sound designer. In addition to numerous collaborations with international artists he is busy with producing remixes (for Röyksopp, Hot Chip…), running his label FLASH Recordings and composing new music. He has successfully completed his BA studies at the London College of Music, which helps him producing his upcoming artist album.
He also writes articles about music production in magazines like “FutureMusic” and does loops & sample bundles for his own brand “Riemann Kollektion” and “Samplemagic”. Till now his productions have been released on labels such as Trapez, Stil vor Talent, Resopal, Herzblut and Kling Klong.
The 38th and current release on his own label FLASH Recordings is in production; this serves as a platform for continuous development and promises many unheard sound creations from Meindl’s universe.

If you ask the 26 years old musician about the origin of his exceptional career, he will describe it as an “early identification with electronic music” which occurred in a small village in beautiful Upper Austria. He sees himself as an artist who is passing this message on to a new generation.
The collaboration with Oliver Koletzki, founder and owner of Stil vor Talent, was certainly an important milestone. Both generated trend-setting productions from which some of the current club tunes and hits emerged. Meindl’s Solo E.P. “Sputnik” is his standard release, one of the essentials of a new minimal style, as is “Blast” which has just been remixed by Format:B for the100th release on Trapez. All in all, Meindl has released more than 100 tracks in very different genres during the course of his young musical development.

After prolonged stays in London Meindl, having adopted Berlin as his home, finally made to move to Berlin in 2009. Here he found the stage for further developing his music. From his new home-base he tours the world’s top clubs, because apart from the exceptional variety of his very own musical style both in music production and composition, he is known more than anything else for his precision in creating driving and diversified DJ sets. Closely following the present development, this demanding representative of the next generation of electronic music is presently focussing on the expansion of his international work. However, Meindl still finds the time to present his original and unique sound branding to a curious party crowd, which is rapidly developing into a loyal community of fans.

When one experiences the modest authority of this sound artist in the sometimes slightly morbid and fast moving scenario of today’s club music, one can look forward to the continued development of electronic music. Florian Meindl is certainly one of the most interesting representatives of the next generation of electronic music producers – his first artist album is in progress featuring a variety of singers and musicians.

Boris Werner Known as an enfant terrible, a radiant light in every after hour and for his mercy less productions; Boris Werner is a thrillseeker of his generation. The Amsterdam based bad boy that speaks his mind and let’s this reflect in his music making. Living weekend to weekend end-on-end and doing all kinds of musical escapades in between, this rockstar’s music got widely recognized in this international scene we call house music. And over the last years he has created quite a stir for himself. 2010 already marks his first decade of electronic music, turning his love for music into a hefty fulltime lifestyle.

It was over ten years ago that Boris got bitten by the house bug when friends first took him to now legendry Mazzo (RIP) in his hometown. And as the story goes for many alike: he got hooked. Being asked to co-host the MONO events with longtime friends Lauhaus and Aron Friedman in 2002. Boris quickly became a regular in Amsterdam nightlife. Never to shy away from any opportunity to have his say behind the decks, he has played more illegal raves then there are any. Cultivating him to the undisputed afterhour dj in his hometown. Having played alongside countless of innovators and inspirators in clubs, parks and/or tunnels, Boris rose to the occasion time and time again. With surgical like precision pain stakingly selecting his records and setting the right party vibe. Flash forward to 2005; after alot of playing, partying and soulsearching this ruffian made his first steps into producing with partner in crime Lauhaus.

They landed their first release in 2007 (Matchmaker / Legeres [Remote Area]) and things really started taking off. Their tracks got licensed for multiple mixcompilations and it definitely wouldn’t be the last time. Boris’ first solo EP would be a doublepack (No Day Like Monday EP) which sold out in a heartbeat. Remixes and cooperations followed on many acclaimed labels such as Moon Harbour, Supplement Facts, Rush Hour, Welcome to Masomenos , Soweso and many others. It skyrocketed Boris into playing most venues throughout Holland and abroad. Places and events like Club 11 (r.i.p.), Studio 80, Rex, Voltt, 5 days Off, Tenax, Panoramabar, T/bar, Awakenings, Welcome To The Future, Sonne Mond und Sterne, WMC, Trouw, Sonar, ADE and closing the Lowlands Festival are only just to name a few. This mile stone year saw Boris also being picked up by the crew of Circo Loco boosting him into Ibiza’s DC-10 several times. And through getting the faith of magnificent club Trouw (Amsterdam) Mr. Werner is now proud host of his own club night; Late Night Society.

Together with William Kouam Djoko he invites acts and DJ’s that got their attention making for defty nights of quality clubbing. Boris Werner, forever young at heart. A charismatic pillar of house, he will keep, pushing dance floors and promotors to fall under his spell with his enthusiasm and dedication to party. Not as a surprise cause people know when quality hits them in the face when he plays his sound filled with lush grooves, thick bass lines and subtle melodies.. From his first decade up to many more to follow there is no end in sight, so keep a close eye and your ear to the streets. Keep a line open for your pusher man.

LOCO DICE UNDER 300 TOUR – Chapter 2

12 cities. 12 shows. 300 limited tickets.

Loco Dice, international artist and Desolat label owner, has had a massive year in 2011, playing some of the most renowned clubs and festivals in the world.
At the beginning of 2012 Loco Dice is again set to return not only to his artistic roots, but also to a fundament of dance culture that we love – small, intimate clubs with a capacity of 300 or less.

It’s been a while since the first Under 300 Tour in 2009, which led Loco Dice to 14 cities playing exclusive extended sets for ecstatic crowds.

The forthcoming UNDER 300 TOUR in January and February 2012 pays tribute not only to vinyl, small lively dance floors, musical freedom and curiosity, but first and foremost to the resident DJ as someone who runs the engine room of creativity, educates and shapes the taste of many.

The TOUR is hosted by a resident DJ in each city. Loco Dice along with his bag full of vinyl is a guest – a curious one, who will not only play in a traditional way, (two turntables and a mic), showing musical facets that are out of place on big stages, but who’ll also use his microphone to interview and introduce each local host, giving the world far beyond the intimacy of a club an insight into UNDER 300.

More information at: http://under300.net

Dates

20.01 – Zurich @ Giesserei with Manon
21.01 – Rotterdam @Toffler with Michel de Hey and Jeff Moore
22.01 – Amsterdam @ Trouw with Boris Werner
26.01 – Turin @ Secret location with Lorenzo LSP
27.01 – Rome @ Animal Social Club with Giancarlino
02.02 – Madrid @ Mondo, ­with Eduardo De La Calle
04.02 – Barcelona @ Suite 191 pres. by RAUM with Pablo Bolivar
10.02 – Copenhagen @ Culture Box with Martinez
11.02 – Paris pres. by We Love Art @ Petit Bain with Alex & Laetitia
12.02 – Düsseldorf @ Salon des Amateurs ­ with Patrick Specke, Pulshar “live” and Vladimir Ivkovic
16.02 – Brussels­ @ Woodstrasse with Ramon Tapia
18.02 – London @ Secret Location with Enzo Sigarusa

James What studied music and sound engineering at the acclaimed LCM and SAE in London and released his initial solo productions in 2005. He has since gone on to make and release his solo and collaborative music with Dan Berkson on some of the industry’s most recognized labels such as Pokerflat, Crosstown Rebels, Murmur and Dessous. Chicago born Dan Berkson has been a professional musician since his mid teens and spent his early years as a successful keyboard player before studying at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. Numerous projects in jazz and funk saw him tour America and in the late 90′s Dan relocated to London to study music production. Dan has gone on to produce and release for labels such as on Exun, Crosstown Rebels, Hypercolour and Gourmet as a solo artist and alongside James.

Their combined and mutual influences of jazz, techno, house and funk find themselves layered to create a truly unique sound niche. An mix of raw classic house and the shrewd darkness of organic minimal and techno ride of each other’s core elements, resulting in a solid yet emotive signature. Stripped down and meticulously produced, the duo use laptops, synthesizers and drum machines as their key tools to create improvised tech house with a jazz edge. Elegantly arranged, classic yet head strong, Dan Berkson and James What’s cut’s are a firm staple in dj boxes worldwide.

Spinning and producing a wide spectrum of music ranging from the deepest of House, to the harder side of Techno, Oliver Deutschmann has made his humble mark on electronic music and the Berlin scene for the past decade.

In 2010 Deutschmann launched a new imprint ‘Falkplatz’, which came from his need to have an open unbounded platform for electronic music. The label has since released Oliver’s productions remixed by Quarion and Nick Chacona, an EP from Ed Davenport, and a new series of releases called ‘Collabs’ with co productions of Oliver with friends and projects, such as gowentgone, SubbroomAssosciation, and Koljah.’Falkplatz’ also unvieled the ‘daten’ catalog with a release by Ron Deacon supported by a Sascha Dive Remix.

Some notable releases from Oliver Deutschmann towards the end of the year and in 2011 are the ‘Waterfalls’ EP including a Patrice Scott remix on Jack Off, Davenport & Deutschmann’s ‘The Kristian Slayter’ EP including Mathias Vogt and Roberto Bosco remixes on Polytone, Gowentgone ‘Walk With Us’ EP on Vidab, and the highly anticipated Davenport & Deutschmann ‘Trump’ EP including Brendon Moeller and Jerome Sydenham remixes.

Apart from catching Oliver Deutschmann playing regularly at Panorama Bar in Berlin or other European top spots, festivals like Sonar in Barcelona or Krauss in Osaka, from December 2010 Deutchmann will hold a residency at the ‘playOn’ parties taking place in Italy, Spain, and Germany with further cities to be announced.

Franklin De Costa’s first releases were way back in 1996 on his own label Fusion Records (w/ 303 Nation Member, Patrick Vauillaume). Under his Tichy moniker Franklin released various EPs on Frankfurt techno labels until the end of the 90s. His search for inspiration brought him to a very experimental production phase without the “4 to the floor“ preset. From this he developed his distinctive trademark sound with straight grooves and frisky sound design.

Concentrating on DJing and organising parties, Franklin began the extroverted phase of the studio nerd. In 2003 he started working with Yapacc and founded the Studiogemeinschaft project. Along with the infamous Frankfurt DJs Bo Irion and Miriam Schulte they started “The Green Empire” events in Frankfurt. Meanwhile, Franklin was gaining more international recognition with releases on well-known labels such as Trapez ltd, Karmarouge Noir, Einmaleins Musik and Treibstoff.

2010 lead to the creation of two new side projects, DCNT and Mudkid, as well his start to perform his music live. At the moment Franklin is juggling quite a list of projects that are scheduled to be released in the very near future!

Joris Voorn is a record producer and Dj from Rotterdam, Netherlands. Raised in a musical family, music naturally became an intrinsic part of Voorn?s life from an early age. Electronic music first caught his attention in the mid-90?s, and he started DJ?ing in 1997. After developing a more focused interest in house and techno, Joris invested in the versatile MC-303 Groovebox and began to experiment with synth sounds and drumloops.

By the end of 2000 Joris began building a small studio to produce his own music, which led to his first release called ?muted trax pt.1? on Keynote. His first EP was massive success, filling the record boxes of Carl Craig, Laurent Garnier, DJ Rush and Technasia. In 2003 ?Lost memories Pt.1? was released on Technasia?s SINO label and was followed by ?Lost memories Pt.2? containing the anthem ?Incident? which was heard on dancefloors around the world. After the success of ?Incident?, Voorn released his debut cd album called ?Future History? on the Sino label.
Encompassing 3 years of ideas and inspiration, the cd contains 20 diverse tracks, a seamless soundscape that represents his arrival as one of the most relevant techno producers of this time.

In the summer of 2005 Joris Voorn?s new personal outlet called ?green? saw the light of day. ?A dedicated mind? was released as the first EP, which garnered success globally. He also completed his debut DJ mix CD for the Fuse club in Belgium. After Dave Clarke, DJ Hell and Technasia, Fuse presented Joris Voorn to mix part 4 of their international resident?s dj mix albums. The mix contained over 40 tracks of timeless techno music mixed with the help of Ableton Live for its endless mixing and editing possibilities.

In 2006 the sophomore release under Voorn?s Green label, named ?MPX_309?, was a crossover techno work that was played out by techno, minimal, house and trance DJs. During the same year Voorn created his second album, released worldwide in June 2007. This new piece of work called ?From a deep place? featured many different styles of electronic music, ranging from atmospheric interludes to broken beats, house and deep soulful techno. The focus point of the ?From a deep place? CD has been the listener rather than the dancer and was received enthusiastically by the electronic music community. Some of the works were edited to more dj friendly tracks for the vinyl release of the album. During the summer of 2007 Joris has been touring with his new live performance in support of his album release.

More recently, Joris has been focusing on collaborative efforts producing remixes for respected and diverse artists such as Robert Babicz, Nic Fanciulli, Slam, Steve Angello, Sebo K and Jerome Sydenham. The ?Dark Flower Magnolia Mix? for Robert Babicz turned out to be another summer anthem in electronic dance music, and was a favourite of DJ?s like Sven Vath, Dubfire, Pete Tong and John Digweed among many others.In 2008, following the success of his resident advisor podcast, Joris was invited to produce episode 14 of the Balance DJ mix CD series from Australia. Following in the footsteps of James Holden and Lee Burridge, Joris constructed a layered and seamless mix of electronic dance music on a double CD. An epic mix in the very best sense of the word, Balance 014 achieves the rare feat of combining variety and consistency, making it perfect for trainspotters and dancers alike. The tracks change quickly and quietly, but the groove stays. An accompanying world tour will follow where Joris will bring the essence of this studio project to the stage, using all different elements of the mix into a full range club experience.

Having established himself as a leading producer and DJ, Joris will be embarking on a new project called ?A green night?. Inspired by his surroundings, which is never limited to the dancefloor, Joris and his team will be creating a night in several festivals and clubs, exploring the possibilities of combining music and visual arts. This year the project will be developed, tested and finetuned in selected clubs. As a DJ and live performer Joris Voorn has joined an elite group of international DJ?s whose musical talent has acquired global appeal. He has performed across Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Austsralia, Russia, Brazil, Colombia, Israel, Detroit, Chicago and New York.

Rejected:
Together with friend Edwin Oosterwal the ?Rejected? record label was established at the end of 2006. Their first EP as Rejected featured the two tracks ?SL3? and ?Cliché? and became an instant success and was played out by almost every self-respecting DJ around the globe. With Rejected, Joris is working on a more club oriented contemporary sound instead of deep electronic music excursions.

In mid 2007 their second EP was released, featuring a crossover techhouse track called ?Let?s go juno? and a driving minimal track called ?Lost?. Both tracks appealed to a wide audience and established Rejected?s name even more.

In 2008 the two key tracks ?Let?s go juno? and ?Cliché? were successfully remixed by dutch artists District One and Polder on one EP.

This year, the Rejected label has some great projects in the pipeline, to start off with a disco infected house track by the Dutch rising star Pitto.

Lee’s career started on December 26th 1985 in his fathers pub in the countryside of the South West of England. Never dreaming what laid ahead he started his career playing Birthdays, Weddings and the occasional funeral. Born from a decades passion for music and seeing it as an opportunity to get a girlfriend he spent the first few years playing 7″ records to everyone from age 5 -95. He was soon spotted by a local nightclub who snapped him up as their regular Saturday night DJ. This lead to being invited to other local nightclubs playing as he describes it ” a mix of the best of the worst music from the 80′s”. Lee’s path diverted in 1988 with the discovery of acid house. After attending some of the outdoor raves that were gaining momentum around London’s M25 motorway Lee’s passion for music was turned on it’s head and he felt excited in a way never felt before. “I had to find this music” he said and started to collect the first records which have grown from the one red plastic record box of 1988 to over 35,000 records today. Lee and friends started to organize small club and beach events where he lived but getting to play these big raves proved difficult. Not living in London or knowing anyone involved made Lee just another Dj handing out mix tapes to anyone and everyone whom would listen to them. “I’m not sure what would have happened if I’d been asked to play back then as in 1990 my life really changed direction”.

Hong Kong and Thailand 1991 -1997

Lee was spotted by a club owner from Hong Kong in 1990 and left the UK early in 1991 to work as a DJ there. During the first six months it became apparent that Hong Kong’s underground dance music scene was non existent and Lee spent the next few years changing all that. Small Sunday night parties for 250 people grew quickly into a thriving nightclub scene which constantly saw him playing marathon sets on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Overseas DJ’s and club nights started to grace the shores of Hong Kong as it became one of those happening destinations on the global DJ circuit. This continued throughout the 90′s. Lee’s residency at the now defunkt Big Apple and Neptunes nightclubs became so popular he DJ’d six night a week for three years until eventually deciding to leave in 97. The decision was made after playing with Sasha and Craig Richards on numerous occasions and having them offer to launch his career in the UK.

Also during the 90′s Lee ventured to Haadrin, Thailand.  Haadrin is now a mecca for clubbers and it’s full moon parties attract 10,000 + people every month. Lee arrived in February 1992 after hearing about it from travelers who passed through Hong Kong. The full moon party at this point consisted of the drum circles around open fires on the beach and a DJ playing tapes in one of the bars. Lee decided to fly back to Hong Kong and come back with records and turntables while the Thai people organized a sound system. Lee stayed for 3 months at a time playing and helping to grow the parties which were held every week leading up to the main party on the beach each month for full moon. “This was always something that was going to happen in Haadrin” states Lee “I was just lucky enough to have been there very early on while the parties grew. I wouldn’t credit myself with being the first person playing dance music in Haadrin. That right goes to a fantastic DJ who went by the name of Backyard Dave but I was definitely one of the first few playing records on the beach there. We didn’t have a proper DJ box, just decks set up on a plank of wood balanced on beer crates with some palm tree leaves above to protect us if it rained! I regularly was electrocuted by the mixer when it got damp” Lee continued to visit the Island every year until 99 and stayed for months to experience the privalidged position of playing sunrise on the beach each full moon and at the Backyard club which he cites as one of the most special places in the world ever to have played at.

Back to the UK 1997 – present day

On the recommendation of Craig and Sasha Lee returned to the UK but it wasn’t an easy first year. Craig Richards ran a highly successful party in London which he invited Lee to play several times but without contacts or an agent Lee was a relative unknown and it took time to become recognized. Fortunately with  strong and consistent appearances at Craigs night and then the launch of the Tyrant night featuring Lee alongside both Sasha and Craig Lee’s career really started taking off. Offers to play other leading UK clubs such as Cream, Golden, Ministry of Sound etc lead to Lee being offered to mix a CD for Hooj Chons mixing the breakbeat tracks on their label. Lee was asked to have the mix done by the next morning so no computer trickery here, just two decks a mixer and the records. He was also asked that year to mix his first solo CD (this time with tracks of his own choice). The compilation went down very well with the magazines. Tyrant was also picking up speed with a regular monthly party in both London and Nottingham. Lee and Craig were left to their own devices on several occasions with Sasha unable to make it and throwing them in the deep end. Would a packed house expecting to see Sasha be disappointed? The answer was clearly no as the crowd kept coming back month after month. In 1999 The first Tyrant compilation was released and won album of the month in every single magazine. This mix has stood the test of time and still sounds as fresh today as it did back then. Sasha decided to bow out of Tyrant after a few years and Lee and Craig continue, to this day, to confound and twist the heads of the people who hear them play .A Tyrant mix was featured on the UK’s Radio One live from the Homelands festival as well as the duo being invited to do an essential mix fro Pete Tong. Lee and Craig as Tyrant held down a monthly night at Fabric in London almost from the day it opened until the end of 2005 when Lee embarked his 365 project.

Lee decided to try and make more sense of his unrelenting travel in 2005 at which point the 365 project was born. It was an idea Lee had had to expand the impact a DJ would have by setting up shop in seven countries/cities for one or two months over 365 days. While in each location he became resident of a club and hosted at least four parties to grow the relationship and understanding between himself and each crowd. To learn more himself as well as expose each crowd to his unique music selection and Djing style. In each place he also set aside time to work alongside local producers and write music. Lee’s residencies were held in New York, Ibiza, Florence, Buenos Aires, Sydney, Denver and Hong Kong. He also kept a journal which was published online for each city by DJmag.com each month describing the unusual and unhinged lifestyle that is his.  The project was a great success and after a few months break Lee returned to New York in Fall 2006 and expanded the 365 residency to 4 months. This is an ongoing project which could land in a city near you soon!

He has continued to release widely regarded and much loved underground mix CD’s for companies like  Global Underground, Everybody and most recently Balance. He is also a yearly visiter to Miami’s winter music conference where for the last three years he has held his own party where he takes the controls and messes with your mind for seven hours. The party has gone from strength to strength and this year had to be moved to a larger venue due to outgrowing BED. The ‘Barrage’ Pawn shop party was mentioned as one of the parties of the conference.Lee continues to play the major festivals of the world from Notting Hill carnivals famous Sancho Panza stage to Exit festival, Creamfields and Homelands, Coachella, Love Parade, Dance Valley, Ultra, Acafest and in the last few years Burning Man which he cites as the best event he’s ever been to in twenty five years of going out. 2008 will see him visiting the Virgin festival in Toronto for the first time.

Production.

Lee was involved in Fire recordings during the nineties but is really a latecomer to producing citing laziness and studio fear as causes. His first solo production was the Lost and Found Ep on Fire which was instantly licensed to James Lavelles Global Underground, Tyrant 2 (although Lee said he felt a bit weird putting one of his own tracks on a compilation), Cass’s Prologue and Sancho Panza’s carnival CD. Not a bad start! As Tyrant they remixed UNKLE and Lee set up Almost Anonymous in 2006 which was “simply a label for releasing tracks made on the 365 tour”. Tracks alongside Dan F, Andy Page and Steve Porter were released through 2007.

2007 to present.

Lee’s most recent  triple mix CD for Balance was released in Fall 2007 to critical aclaim. Ranking as compilation of the month across many many publications and websites it then went nominated for compilation of the year at the PLUG awards. Lee’s tour to support the CD ran through into 2008 covering most of the world and back.

Projects in 2008 include a new set of parties called ‘GET WEIRD’ which will start out as residencies on the left and right coast in San Francisco and New York.  A return to the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert will see him warping minds at various parties as well as this year his own sound system. Lee is also going back in the studio to “take it a bit more seriously this time” alongside new studio guru Tim Green (TG). Expect some wonky and weird music to see the light of day towards the end of 2008.

On a last note Lee has regularly been described as  a DJ’s DJ and I asked the ever popular journalistic question “Describe the music you play”? I asked . He said he usually doesn’t have an answer to have an answer but narrowed it down at least. “The records that can’t really be described. Those are the ones that always interest me. Wonky, Wobbly, bassline driven, trippy, melodic, mean, nasty, gentle, deep, spacious, distant and rocking.Interesting not obvious. Those are some of the words that I’d use to describe the records in my box”.

German club veteran Timo Maas is a master of reinvention. Emerging during the excess of trance’s heyday in the late ‘90s with his self-labelled “Wet & Hard” style that fused techno, progressive house and funk in a rivetingly futuristic manner, he quickly became the remixer du jour for both the club underground and the commercial big leagues. Paul Oakenfold signed up his debut album Loud for his Perfecto imprint – a modern classic that effortlessly bridged accessibility and raw dancefloor sleaze from electro to breaks to tech and hip-hop – with his second album Pictures sharing a label with the likes of Muse and Garbage. And let’s not forget that “Dooms Night” remix of Azzido Da Bass which went on to inspire a generation of LFO-loving dubstep and bass producers. After a hiatus of a couple of years, he cast aside his chart-breaking fame and re-embraced his old love of techno, teaming up with Italy’s Santos in the studio and becoming a stalwart of Sven Väth’s scene-leading Cocoon Recordings, smashing everyone’s preconceptions of his work wide open. This period of resurrection saw the duo team under the banner of Mutant Clan, again breaking down musical barriers and giving the world their warped version of techno.
He’s a musician who will succeed at whatever he puts his hand to, and his next move is always highly anticipated. Behind the decks, he packs one of the hardest punches around, pulling you inside his hypnotic world and creating sets that live, breath and thump as one cohesive, gargantuan entity. So dedicated is he to his craft that he’s built a club on his own land – a Funktion One-packed barn next to his farmhouse in Germany where he rigorously tests out his newest productions and finds. Only a DJ and producer as innovative, technically brilliant and downright loveable could be worthy of an undertaking as prestigious and lauded as the mixing of a Balance compilation. This is Maas’ first official compilation in 9 years.

“The format of the Balance mix series was always quite appealing to me; to spread myself out over 2 CDs without essentially having to “rock” a crowd from the beginning is a very good thing. I was able to also include deeper, downbeat, “earlier set” material, that I personally like to listen to, but am not essentially playing out on a normal club night.

For me “the trip” is quite important to create, with a mix of brand new, even exclusive material, but also tracks that rock my world at the moment and most essentially have rocked my world for many years, the so -called “classics”.”
– Timo Maas

Maas draws us into his musical world with two sumptuous cuts of ambient electronica from his studio, before boldly grabbing our attention with Nicolas Jaar’s already-classic, woozy early morning anthem “Time For Us”. Disc 1 is all about displaying his melodic, charismatic, emotive side – the turgid electro pop of Vector Lovers, the lush disco licks of Toby Tobias and the tripped-out eccentricity of DJ Koze keeping you hooked, the tempo and rhythmic clout slowly building towards the middle of the mix. Jazzy pianos are drawn in, Maas reminding us that this electronic lark is not the be all and end all of music as the opposing tech house backbone becomes more prominent. Mathias Schaffhäuser’s “The 1st Thing” signals that Timo’s tech vein is starting to throb, with animal noises permeating the sexy wiggle of the track. A slice of classic Tenaglia ups the ante, and it looks like we’re set for a thumping finale – before the majestic, blissed-out melody of Carl Craig’s “At Les” pulses in, setting us up for a classy and experimental closer which sees Maas and Santos collide with Elgar and William Orbit.

“The basic rules off DJing haven`t really changed for me. Of course the technical possibilities have, but in the end, it`s all about the selection of music you play – not about the technical skills you`re having when you`re on stage.” – TM

The second act on CD2 makes no attempt to disguise its intent, laden with thudding kicks, plenty of rolling percussion and the intricate attention to detail that peppers his sets and productions. It’s largely comprised of works from him and his colleagues from his quirky new labelRockets & Ponies, with numerous exclusives across both discs in fact. Elements that don’t always reveal themselves at first listen are stacked all around this mix – intricate layers, trickery in the stereo field, unearthly effects and chiefly, hefty groove throughout. At first tracks come thick and fast– more sexy Maas magic, into some wonderfully deep Kenny Larkin, before the mix begins to unwind and take its time about things. Things start taking a turn for the weird, clearly revealing Timo’s love for “tripping the ass out of people” – his remix of We Fell To Earth’s “Lights Out” showing tinges of the ‘70s psych rock that he and Santos while away hours in the studio to, and eerie sci-fi sounds crawling all over the place. Eventually the psychedelic feel subsides, giving way to the blissful melody of Alex Dolby’s re-rub of the Rockets & Ponies anthem “Chinese Massage”, and the mix then dips down once again into deeper territory before unleashing a torrent of acid filth. Timo’s Lost Veteranos project appears with the gnarly, industrial intensity of “It’s Wronger”, before a classic 303 double-header from Emmanuel Top and Hardfloor bangs you into submission, taking you back to a wonderfully simpler but no less impactful time. A sprinkling of magic dust rounds off this heady compilation in the form of his own epic, unreleased version of Placebo’s typically yearning “Ashtray Heart” -a fittingly powerful finale.

“It was quite an intense process spread out over 4 month to listen, re-listen, collect and choose the music for my Balance CDs. I don`t know how many tracks I was listening to with my “compilation ears” – maybe a few thousand – and thanks to my amazing production partner Santos, I was even able to fill spaces on the mix with the right tracks that we wrote in the production process just for Balance. Nearly everything exclusive was road-tested over the month before I mixed it too. I`m very happy with the result.” – TM

Balance 017: Timo Maas Tracklisting

CD1
01. Timo Maas – Morning Beauty *
02. Timo Maas – A Day After George **
03. Nicolas Jaar – Time For Us (Original Mix)
04. Dana Bergquist & Peder G – Acapulco (Sasse Remix)
05. Solvent – Loss For Words (Vector Lovers Remix)
06. Random House Project – The One For Ever (Toby Tobias Dub Mix)
07. Phattivan – Man From Ternopil *
08. Deetron – Sing
09. Mathias Kaden – Kawaba (DJ Koze’s Kosi-San Remix) w/ DJ Koze – Blume Der Nacht
10. Henrik Schwarz & Kuniyuki – Once Again (Kuniyuki Version)
11. Giorgio Roma – Across The East Side * w/?Timo Maas – Spacemooger Experience *
12. Alex Flitsch meets Mutant Clan – Imanah (Patrick Chardronnet Deep Mix)
13. Mathias Schaffhäuser – The 1st Thing *
14. Danny Tenaglia – Elements (The Dtour)
15. Santè & Adam Port – Solano *
16. The Crystal Ark – The City Never Sleeps (Instrumental)
17. Florian Hollerith – Fluxus
18. Carl Craig – At Les
19. William Orbit, Elgar – Nimrod (Timo Maas & Santos Remix)

CD 2
01. Timo Maas – Latenza *
02. Marc Romboy & Stephan Bodzin – Luna (Mutant Clan Laser Gun Remix)
03. Kenny Larkin – Glob (Kenny Larkin Mix)
04. Alex Niggemann – Take Control (Matthias Tanzmann Remix)
05. Alex Dolby & Santos – To Be Large *
06. The Mole – Nervous Disid
07. Mutant Clan – Totally Wet (Santè & Adam Port Remix) *
08. We Fell To Earth – Lights Out (Timo Maas Remix)
09. Timo Maas – Kick 1 Kick 3 *
10. Mutant Clan – Arcadia **
11. Santè & Adam Port – Faire Des Siennes (Mutant Clan Caraibic Remix) *
12. Santos – Matinèe
13. Rockets & Ponies – Chinese Massage (Alex Dolby: Porno Dolby Remix) *
14. Timo Maas – Clouds **
15. Lost Veteranos – It’s Wronger
16. Emmanuel Top – Somewhere
17. Hardfloor – Acperience 1
18. Placebo – Ashtray Heart (Timo Maas Remix) * unreleased remix

* denotes exclusive to this compilation
** denotes exclusive to this compilation and to be released on a special Balance EP

North American Tour Dates

November 19 San Francisco, CA @ Ruby Skye
November 22 Chicago, IL @ Green Dolphin
November 24 Miami, FL @ Soho Studios
November 26 New York, NY @ District 36
November 27 Toronto, Canada @ Footwork

The 27-year-old Southampton talent has been DJing half his life, and over the last 7 years has carved a name for himself in the production world as one the most talented groove-makers around. Whether it’s the straight-up, chunky acid and tech house sound that he’s best known for, or the flashes of anthemic genius in his tracks with Ridney (Sunshyne and their Pet Shop Boys-approved rework of West End Girls both chosen as Tong’s Essential New Tunes), his productions are always filled with colour, character, and funk.

Having graced world-leading labels like Get Physical, CR2, Bedrock, Noir, Saved and fabric in recent years, he’s kicked off the new decade in sterling form with his stomping, peak-time remix of M.A.N.D.Y. vs Booka Shade’s Donut – with the latter loving his version so much that they’ve asked him to remix their stone-cold classic Manderine Girl. In addition, he’s got releases coming up throughout 2010 on acclaimed labels like Blu-Fin, Great Stuff Recordings and Global Underground.

After playing many of the world’s most revered clubs over the last two years – including Tokyo’s Womb, Chicago’s Spy Bar, London’s Ministry Of Sound, Manchester’s Sankeys and Toronto’s Footwork – he’ll be continuing to tour the globe extensively throughout 2010, with many more exciting plans afoot for the year. His successful Radio 1 Essential Mix from September 2009 will be followed on by a third guest mix for John Digweed’s Transitions show.

In an age when the continental European sound dominates the house and techno scene, James Talk remains one of the UK’s brightest talents, reminding the world where tech house came from in the first place. A breath of fresh air from the droves of posturing scenesters and minimal chinstrokers, his is a sound which goes back to the visceral essentials.

Swiss born David Keno began his musical life learning classical instruments such as guitar and drums when he was 12. After playing in various rock bands he discovered his love of electronic music. He bought a drum machine and an old Korg synthesizer and started to experiment. Over the next few years he developed his skills and eventually the guys from the Pocketgame label loved his melodic productions so much that they signed him for his first release: Vernis – Bubble Bath EP which came with a fantastic Trentemoeller remix.

From there his career took off. He has released on labels such as I220, Zenit, Meerestief, Karateklub, ELP and provided remixes for Samuel L. Session, G-Man, da Fresh, Robert Drewek, Hugg&Pepp, DK8 and even 80ies heroes Trans-X who wanted a remix for their “living on video” that came out on ZYX Music.

The next step in his career was to launch his own label and in January 2007 Keno Records 01 was released with huge success. “Liquid” went on to be found in the playlists of many DJs.

In David Keno’s DJ sets or also as a Livect his musical range goes from minimal techno to house. Very floor-oriented but often with a certain melodic touch. Maybe these are his roots from the 80ies shining through.

From an early age, music has been important in Leo’s life. As a child, he began studying piano, followed by drum lessons during adolescence. In theory and practice he obtained top qualifications and was recognized with diplomas and medals.

His liking for electronic music started in the late 90′s when bought his first mixed CD compilations from Sasha, Hernán Cattaneo, Deep Dish, Paul Oakenfold & Brooklyn Bounce.
In the beginning of 2003, his curiosity towards dj’ing grew and he decided enroll in a recognized electronic music school in Buenos Aires, Argentina (his birthplace). During this time, an already established local artist named Fernando Romano was a great help in showing him how to perfect his skills as a DJ. He played at important places and events like: Pacha, Pampulha Iate Clube, El Divino, Caix, Jet, 206 Creamfields, Expo BoomA, with sponsorship brands as Red Bull, Heineken, Fibertel, Topline and URBE Bikini Mag from Venezuela.

Happy music seems to be the concept; groovie bass-lines accompanied by harmonic melodies in his track selection and a fine mixing technique make him stand out among others in South America. His unique style makes it hard to classify his sound into just one category, as he blends many different sub-genres of House music… Neo Progressive, Disco Tech, Electro Funk, or however you wanna call it!
His influences over the years as well as today are Luke Fair, S.O.S, Danny Howells, Ricky Ryan, Tom Middleton, Eric Prydz, Echomen, Tiga & Sander Kleinenberg.

He has been supported by world-class artists such as Jody Wisternoff (Way Out West), Chris Salt, Add2Basket, Neil Quigley, Chloe Harris, Roman Rai, Tom Morgan, Matt Tolfrey, Helen K, Brent Toepper, Marz Faram and many others. Besides, he was charted by Sultan (Yoshitoshi/Tao), Lifeform (Link/Droog), Andrew Pacey (Believe/Gorg-O-Mish) & DJ Firuz (Sikamikanico Club, Oslo).

At the moment, this young and vibrant artist spends his time making edits, producing his own tracks and promoting himself in local and global radios, such as Proton, Frisky, Just Music, ETN, Mercury Sessions, Di.FM, Club 246, Dance-FM, X4 104.3 FM, KSK 101.9 FM, Doble Nueve, DLA & ADN Alternative.

Marcos Deon is an artist in full rise in the southern Brazilian electronic scene. Your name is constant presence in main clubs and parties of the Rio Grande do Sul.

Living and working in Passo Fundo, a city situated in the northern of Rio Grande do Sul, which is respected for his serious electronic scene – considered one of the best place to dance underground music in Brazil, and that is the route confirmed World Top DJs on their tours in south america.

Deon is one of the main protagonists for the progressive beats consolidation in local scene. As his main influences, he cites renowned artists such as Danny Howells, Sasha, Hernan Cattaneo, Luke Fair and Ricky Ryan.

He is currently the resident DJ of the Moinho Lounge, keeping your projects “Deon and Friends” and “MUZIK”, and work persistently spreading and making intelligent electronic music.

Infectiously upbeat and powerfully emotive, the music of Washington D.C.’s Dave Cortex fuses funk and melodies with driving grooves to create unique yet relevant house beats. In just a few short years Dave’s releases have gained the support of a large and diverse amount of A-list taste makers – such as Top 100 DJs Eddie Halliwell and Groove Armada, Grammy winners Dirty Vegas, and respected underground names like Jaytech, Thomas Penton, Pole Folder, and many others.

His music has been charted by publications like DJ Mag and Ibiza Voice, and heard on FM radio throughout the world. Dave’s story starts much earlier, of course. A child of the 80’s, Dave grew up listening to the commercial sounds of the era, which heavily influences his music today. In high school he discovered house music thanks to Daft Punk’s ‘Around The World’, and he was soon enjoying other electronic acts such as The Prodigy and the Chemical Brothers.

It wasn’t long before Dave was attending raves and learning to DJ himself! In the early 21st century, Dave rose to local prominence by hosting his own parties and winning several area DJ competitions. He quickly caught the attention of DC’s largest promotion companies and nightclubs, and was frequently invited to perform as the opening DJ for artists like BT, Josh Wink, and Roger Sanchez. Dave was often booked at the famed Buzz parties at Nation – the US’s most renowned superclub night of the era – and he played other high-profile events such as Baltimore’s Starscape festival.

To this day Dave Cortex’s memorable DJ sets consist of complex harmonic layerings that maximize energy while completely immersing the listener. By the mid-2000’s, Dave felt he had done everything he could with local DJing and was no longer feeling challenged. So he decided to finally learn something that had long both fascinated and intimidated him: music production. Taking a large break from the constant clubbing of his youth, Dave isolated himself and constantly worked on learning his art.

After a few frustrating years, he eventually gained confidence in his abilities and saw his first release in 2007. Since then, Dave has quickly established himself as one of the most exciting up-and-coming names today. His stand-out music takes influences from a wide variety of genres and rolls them up into a distinct sound that doesn’t fit nicely into any existing subset – resulting in fans and playlistings from across the dance music spectrum.

The key to Dave Cortex’s success is simple: he spends as much time as possible in his studio, loving his time with the craft, and is always challenging himself to raise the bar.

Enjoying life inspired by memories and music from the past, combining them with the progressing sound of techno. Pär Grindvik is an artist that always aims to compose music that keeps the sparkle and curiosity alive within the ever changing adaptations of the artistic world.

Pär Grindvik has been a core person of the Swedish electronic scene since the nineties as record store-owner, label manager and producer. He is a well established artist and after many years of touring and releases on big name labels like Drumcode and Spectral, he is now based in Berlin, Germany.

Enjoying life, inspired by memories and music from the past, combining them with the progressing sound of techno, Pär is an artist that always aims to compose music that adds sparkle and curiosity to the scene. Doing this is also the goal of his record label Stockholm LTD.

Doing this is also the goal of his record label, Stockholm LTD, which he created and founded in 2002. It began as an outlet for singles and EPs from Swedish electronic artists with a focus on releasing timeless electronic music.
Nowadays it’s much more, as each release tells its own story. Every inch of Pärs’s work, including the label, artwork, release info and music, is wrapped with heart and emotion, which keeps the sparkle and curiosity alive within the ever changing adaptations of the artistic world.

Inspired by memories and music from the past, combining them with the progressing sound of techno. Stockholm LTD aims to find the perfect place between retro and future, aesthetics and underground culture.

Pär Grindvik started his career in a suburb to Stockholm. Playing the saxophone, he approached music in a classical way and studied at Stockholm Music Conservatory School. His older brothers introduced him to Kraftwerk and early italo and he made the school introduce DJ-lessons to the students. Besides school he started the respected record store “Illegal Stockholm” together with Tobias von Hofsten.

Pär Grindvik or his pseudonym The Hollow is a well established artist and producer and after many years of touring and releases on big name labels like Drumcode and Spectral Sound, he is now based in Berlin, Germany.
Pär Grindvik is one of the most promising names around today and one of the most respected producers out there!

Aged just 21 Jozef K is resident for the prestigious Tribal Sessions at DJ Mag’s voted #1 club in the world – Sankeys. Tribal Sessions is Sankeys’ longest running and most prestigious event. He is also resident for the champion underground house and techno night in Manchester: Kaluki at Sankeys; for whom he produced an exclusive podcast. Also Jozef is resident for Sankeys brand new underground party ‘Carnival’. Jozef K has produced an exclusive mix podcast for the Sankeys website, as well as an exclusive mix for the largest online dance music station: Proton Radio.

Jozef has thrown parties at various venues across Manchester under the name ‘Forward’. Bookings include Manuel Tur, Milton Jackson, Suedmilch and Tony Lionni. Jozef K has played various venues across the UK; from Carlisle to London to Bristol. The ‘New Kid On The Block’ has recently played a gig in Moscow, Russia and has had recent production interest, with his track ‘Elevation’ due to be released on ‘Kaluki Musik’ in the coming summer months.

It seems like everyone wants to become a DJ nowadays, Rollo Tal was born one (Jerusalem, Israel, 1979). Ever since he was a child he used to listen to the radio for hours, record and collect different records. In 1999, after playing frequently in local underground parties across Jerusalem’s night life circuit, Rollo landed a night residency at legendary club “Q”, which opened many new doors for him and exposed his wide musical range to clubbers from all over Israel, who used to come especially for the sleazy and free vibe atmosphere he used to create on the dance-floor.

Having started his career as a DJ in 1995, Rollo continues to push the limits, exploring and taking musical risks. He strives to imprint his own identity and influences to take his music one step further. Rollo can best be described as a strong believer and a visionary DJ, whom with his endless passion for music is tireless when it comes to his craft. He is known for playing a range of eclectic, soulful, electronic music and in the last several years toured and played as a Headliner all over Europe, USA and South America.

On the production side, Rollo is concentrating on creating his own sound, which is trendy, fresh and open-minded that will allow him to find a successful outlet for his own creative endeavours. With his infectious personality and uncompromised musical taste, together with his technical skills on decks, he has distinguished himself as an individual artist. With his outgoing perspective, the future looks bright for this promising talent as he continues to push the limits of electronic music.

If, over the last 20 years or so, you’ve spent any time near a discotheque, radio, TV or one of those spangly new pieces of kit designed to listen to music digitally, you will have been privy to some of the quite marvellous sounds touched, in one way or another, by Kelvin Andrews and his younger sibling Danny Spencer.
Now, if those names aren’t instantly recognisable and feelings of sonic inadequacy have set in, don’t fret, Kelvin and Danny might not be household names, but rest assured, having written a number one single with one Robbie Williams Esquire, remixed the likes of Sister Sledge, The Doobie Brothers and Aretha Franklin and been lauded as acid house heroes (Kelvin was one of the first DJs pushing the incendiary sounds back in the late 80s, while Danny gurned his way onto Top of the Pops and the cover of Smash Hits thanks to his brief flirtation with proper high street fame as a member of Candy Flip), they have helped soundtrack some of the last two decade’s most symphonic moments. Not bad for a couple of lads from Stoke-on-Trent, who like a cracking bottle of red wine, Keith Richards or Steven Gerrard, just seem to get effortlessly better with age.

As well as being their first love, music was always going to be their saving grace. Their dad was a former singer and guitarist, who, having issued records on such iconic labels as Pye, Decca and Parlophone, released his last album in 1964 – coincidentally enough, also the year of Kelvin’s birth. Records of every hue crowded the house.

“Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, funk and jazz,” recalls Kelvin, noting the music which resonated through their Stoke home.

“Even the odd Kraftwerk album would be knocking around,” remembers Danny. “He dealt in quality.”

And when their dad began working behind the scenes – primarily for a company that specialised in bringing black American artists over for performances in the UK – he became fast friends with the likes of Ben E King and Junior Walker.

“My dad’s got lots of fantastic stories from that time,” says Kelvin. “It was a bit strange us being from Stoke. It soon became apparent that we were a bit different from the rest of the kids at school.”

“Yeah,” sniggers Danny. “For ages we thought everyone had soul singers staying in their living room.”

It was to take a cheeky incident with a can of blue paint, his father’s record collection and his own inquisitive mind to cement Kelvin’s passion. Having daubed half his dad’s records blue, in some proto modern art experiment, when he was still young enough not to know better, it was demonstrated to Kelvin what the circular pieces of shellac were really for. In typical youthful fashion, ‘that was it’.

By the early 80s, Kelvin was DJing in an underground club called, curiously enough, The Basement and soaking up the vast array of musical revolutions that seemed to be occurring on a weekly basis: hip hop, post punk, electro and early house were all up for grabs and Kelvin was devouring them religiously, as well as schooling his younger brother. For his part, Danny won awards for his breakdancing.

House music was their real year zero though. Kelvin got his hands on an early copy of the seminal primer The House Sound of Chicago and the pair were hooked. “Everything else was irrelevant,” they both proclaim. Indeed Danny went straight into the studio as an ebullient teen and fashioned Ride The Rhythm under his evocative This Ain’t Chicago moniker. It shot to number 41 with a bullet.

Both became disciples of Manchester’s famed Hacienda nightclub, and it was after one particularly messy night down there that Danny hit upon the idea that would precipitate his first brush with fame and notoriety. Buzzing off DJ Graeme Park playing Fresh Four’s cover of Rose Royce’s blissful Wishing On A Star as the last tune of the night, he and his studio partner Ric Peet decided to try and emulate such a scenario. In a moment of serendipity, The Beatles Strawberry Fields Forever was the only song they could listen to on the radio while driving home. The temporary monster that was Candy Flip was thus conceived. A number three hit ensued, as did the aforementioned visit to Top of the Pops and that Smash Hits cover.

For their next project, the boys, typically, went underground once more (one defining feature of their careers, whether individually or collectively, has been their capacity to equally exist in the full glare of the mainstream or bury themselves in the dusty crevices of the leftfield). Having been one of the original residents at Stoke’s infamous den of iniquity, Golden, Kelvin was adept at reading his dancefloor and alongside Danny he transplanted these skills into the Sure Is Pure production team. Remixing the likes of Aretha Franklin, The Doobie Brothers, Sister Sledge, Lulu and Dave Stewart into dancefloor gold, it appeared the boys could do no wrong.

“We felt we could remix anything,” remembers Danny with a hint of mischief in his eye. “Then we got given Bucks Fizz’s Land of Make Believe. Our reworking was awful and it taught us a lesson – namely, that we couldn’t remix everything!”

During this time – the mid 90s – the brothers also initiated their Pharm imprint, in the process displaying another glimpse of their enduring ying and yang dynamism by sending the magical Remember Me by Blueboy from the nation’s dancefloors to the toppermost reaches of the poppermost hit parade.

It’s an ethos that in the heady days of acid house was termed Balearic – a strident belief that music should not be dictated by genres, rather the almost quaint notion that there exists only two types of music: good and bad. And that within this framework anything goes.

And so it went that the pair’s next project was arguably their most Balearic outing to date. Sound 5 were an experimental pop band attempting to locate the missing ground between the Pet Shop Boys and the Beach Boys. Although their ambitious undertaking never got the attention it so patently deserved – bruised egos and record industry machinations came into play – listening to the likes of Future’s Bright and Heavy Transit from their sparkling No Illicit Dancing longplayer today confirms the idea that their hotch potch musical quilt was just unfortunately ahead of its time.

From despair though came their greatest success. Robbie Williams had long been a fan of Danny and Kelvin’s due to their shared birthplace, so when the erstwhile ‘fat dancer from Take That’ (thanks, Noel Gallagher) suggested they get together with him in the studio, Danny and Kelvin could finally put all their stored wonky leftfield pop nous to good use. The resulting Rock DJ single gave them a number one single and even an Ivor Novello nomination.

Latterly, the brothers worked on Robbie’s Rudebox album, giving the title track in particular an added electro authenticity. Indeed such is Robbie’s admiration for Danny and Kelvin (they continue to work together – most recently on Robbie’s Inner Sanctum fan club releases), he has compared the duo to one of contemporary music’s most garrulous characters. “It’s like finding two Pharrell Williams in Stoke-on-Trent,” he has proclaimed.

This collaboration has continued with their role as ‘Central Midfield’ on Robbie’s new album, ‘Reality Killed the Video Star’. They spent the best part of the last three years camped out with Rob in LA and occasionally in Stoke, writing huge numbers of songs – some way too weird to make it on to a Robbie record as he himself has recently pointed out. However, the backbone of the latest album comes from those sessions with their guiding hand behind all but 3 of the album’s tracks. It has seen them truly extend themselves away from their house music roots to include 50’s Doo-Wop, Pet Shop Boys influenced 80’s pop as well as the Robbie staples of anthemic string laden balladry and puff-chested rock.

That’s not to say that they have left the house music underground for good though. Soul Mekanik is Danny and Kelvin’s latest missive from the dancefloor. Their most recent 81 album was charming leftfield house at its very best, doffing its cap to its myriad influences (seemingly every electronic movement since the titular year in question has been sifted into the mix), yet never beholden to one style or aesthetic. Very Balearic you might say.

Their involvement in the shadowy dealings of the Creative Use re-edits and bootlegs continues to inspire and Kelvin can still be found at the DJ coalface indulging his passion for all things cosmic.

Now that they have a little time to think of things outside their Robbie Williams role, they are working on finishing a slew of club tracks that they have had under construction during that period. 2010 sees them back as Soul Mekanik, showing the new kids how it’s done.

Make no mistake then, the history of all forward-thinking music, whether it be pop or underground, or both, over the last two decades is shot through with traces of Kelvin Andrews and Danny Spencer. Rest assured the future will be too.

Anyone with even a passing interest in house music will either know of Ricky Ryan or should make a point of getting on board pronto. Ricky’s profile has grown substantially over the years, garnering the attention and being mentored by the likes of Sasha and John Digweed.

It’s not often that you come across a really outstanding DJ combining oodles of talent with a livewire personality, but Ricky Ryan is just that. In fact, there’s a major movement going on in Argentina and Ricky is one of the leaders.

His success is exemplified by being chosen as a featured artist on John Digweedís ëTransitionsí show and his debut on Proton Radio set a record of 1,000 simultaneous listeners, with rave reviews from Sander Kleinenberg, Danny Howells and Desyn Masiello. Rickyís toured extensively worldwide, including gigs at the Winter Music Conference in Miami and a sought after residency at the spectacular Warung Beach Club in Brazil.

His sound is distinguished by a broad variety of musical styles, from beautiful warm house and deep techno to pumping dance floor anthems. Itís difficult to categorize him within one particular genre, as Ricky truly has established his own sound, always guiding the listener through a magical soundscape through his silky smooth mixing and impeccable programming.

Along with being one of the world’s hottest up-and-coming DJs, Ricky Ryan is just as well respected for his remixes and productions under the Can Costa moniker. His dedication to showcasing only the highest quality instrumental talent has influenced his production, where in just a small number of years he has risen towards the top of the digital charts with a multitude of original tracks and commissioned remixes, while establishing a highly successful label of his own, Sick Watona.

Aside from the music, Ricky’s genuinely likable and approachable character is a breath of fresh air. His passion and enthusiasm has helped him forge some terrific friendships and this network is a key reason why he can tap into an abundance of exclusive goodies.

From DJing and producing to playing guitar, piano and vocals, Ricky seems to have it all. The stage is set; Ricky Ryan is quickly becoming one of the world’s leading underground music acts.

” I love your music Ricky, you do a great job ” – QUENTIN TARANTINO

From minimal to progressive and everything in between, Naveen G’s releases reflect his DJing ability to adapt to the crowd or a headliner using his diverse range. Equally comfortable warming up a room properly or playing on his own deep into the night, Naveen has brought his unique and varied style to the unsuspecting dancefloors across the world from South America to Asia, where they have learned to expect the unexpected. With an acclaimed show on Proton Radio, a steady string of releases for 2010 with past support from Sasha, John Digweed, Satoshi Tomiie, Hernan Cattaneo and others, as well as gigs alongside a wide range of DJs such as Danny Howells, Lee Burridge, Anja Schneider, Cassy, S.O.S., Spooky, Audiofly , Chris Fortier, Jonathan Lisle and many others inbetween, Naveen G continues to gain new followers among both DJs and clubgoers alike.

Location: Portugal
Format: Studio
Duration: 62 min
Size: 85.1 MB

Bio

Filipe Rodriguez aka trekz was Born in Aveiro, Portugal, now living in Avila, Spain. Trekz is a dj, producer and collector of electronic music. From an early age, music began to be very important, began early to work with the music as a dj, and shortly later as a producer.

Trekz with your influences of funk and soul, from disco to tech-house play in its best aspects. Now has played in plenty of bars and clubs well referenced. In 2008, signed its first contract with the label More Music Records.

Daesmith – Peter Kovacs – decided to become a DJ at the age of 17 after 5 years of listening to electronic music. He was invited to play first in secondary school at school-organized gigs, and from that on at some well known clubs in his home town Nagykanizsa (Hungary) dated about 1999-2000. From that time he kept evolving his skills of mixing and amusing the audience. He had the opportunity to play in clubs in the capital of Budapest thanks to his friend DJ Kühl (Tamas Kuhl).

In the last 8 years he played in almost all well known clubs in Hungary and in some of the neighboring countries gave him some fair shows as well. His first impressions were trance and techno but later on he was smashed by house and its many kinds became dominant in his sets. His music style keeps a solid distance from the trend-line by being harmonic, and on the other hand being exaggerated… even if its deep house, tech house or chill out.

He was the founder of the Audio Bliss project (2006) which was at first only an evening event, and is from October 2008 on also a radio show hosted by himself, Cave Sedem and Skipjack @ http://www.globalparty.hu on every Wednesday from 4pm-6pm (CET).The guests are known and less known Hungarian and foreign DJs and producers who get besides the hosts a one hour opportunity of broadcast. Recently Daesmith started making his own music, which will soon have its output, and there are also further plans with the Audio Bliss project.

“I love music… how it can make our emotions flow; how it can change the way we think; the way we love; the way we express ourselves.” Omid16B

Omid16B lives for music. Cutting edge dance music is like oxygen for Omid Nourizadeh. An Artist that has evolved into a unique DJ, producer who also has his own labels Alola, Disclosure and SexOnWax Recordings, spreading his passion worldwide.

Fans range from Sasha to Carl Cox & Tenaglia, Fran̤ois K to Robert Smith (The Cure) and from Digweed and Danny Howells to DeepDish. Equally important to Omid are his fans on the dance floor. And he turns them on with superb sets that twist and turn from sexy house through to dark yet soulful emotive techno and electronica Рeach set morphing to bring out the best in the crowd and himself.

Of Persian roots, Omid’s family immigrated to London when he was just one-year-old. His artistic flair and musical ear developed at an early age – as did his ambition. Influenced by Hendrix, The Cure, Depeche Mode and The Mission, he started playing the guitar at 14, learned how to play drums and bass guitar at 15 and formed his own band when he was 17 called “The Reunion. Releasing their 1st EP on Donkey records at the age of 19.
Gradually Omid’s tastes were becoming “more dance than rock, more loops than words, less songs more toons”.

Omid laid the foundations for his own career path and set up Alola Records in 1994. Under his ORN moniker, his stunning ‘Snow’ track was picked up by BMG Deconstruction and Omid’s production talents were snapped up by Eye Q, signing his debut album ‘Sounds From Another Room’ (1998). This album was met with critical acclaim and spawned the hit single ‘Water Ride’ that lead to a live performance with a full 5 piece band on the Joe Willey show on channel 4 UK. Another album followed as $16 Million Dollar Man on ‘Under The Counter’ (2000) before ‘How To Live 100 Years’ in 2002 on the respected Hooj Choons label (which Omid did countless hit remixes for before signing) with the HIT single “Escape /Driving to heaven” and not to forget a mix compilation for his label Alola ‘Everything all of them Every Year’ (2002).

“The records I make are pretty spiritual. I try and absorb my feelings.” Omid16B

The singles came thick and fast- but quality has always been the name of the game. To date, Omid has remixed great artists from The Cure, Gus Gus, Danny Howells and Halo Varga, Morel, François Kervorkian and Pete Moss. But once again it’s Omid’s skills that come to the force.

“Some DJs and producers have their finger on the pulse – Omid16B is the pulse. Music runs through his veins.” Lesley Wright, Editor, DJmag

In collaboration with DJmag, Omid took the lead in starting the CD cover mount series called ‘Face Off’. He chose Mr.C as his partner in crime and the ‘Face Off’ series carried on for 2 years including other stars from Zabiela through to Carl Cox, Audiofly and Steve Lawler all on board with the concept, proving one of the most successful bonding ideas between a magazine and an Artist. Omid spent the next 2 years in the making of the album “Like 3 Ears and 1 Eye” whilst also touring with Desyn and Demi as SOS.

He decided to further experiment with different strategies in releasing music as more and more artists where waking up to the extreme changes within the music industry.
Being the cover star for DJmag November issue 2007 Omid shocked the dance community by also including a cover mount CD, ‘Like 3 Ears & 1 Eye (part 1)’ for all 35000 readers in the UK allowing a synchronized release with the rest of the world, and in January 2008 releasing the second part of ‘Like 3 Ears & 1 Eye’ on SexOnWax Recordings through all digital outlets.

In April 2008 Omids collaboration with Desyn and Demi as SOS lead to 6 months in the making of Balance 013 CD compilation for Stomp Australia …with a world wide release SOS where set to tour the entire globe for the next year.
Whilst still on tour with SOS Omid found time to slip into studio mode when back at home only for a few days at a time, carried on writing towards a new 3 parts series called “SEQUENTIAL”.

After Omid’s successful Sequential series on SexOnWax (Seq. 001 ’To Run To/ The Tone/ Dub the House’, Seq. 002 ‘Same As You/ The Move’ and Seq. 003 ‘The Epic’) he got busy with SOS compiling and producing the first in a new compilation series for Ministry of Sound ‘MOS presents SOS’.
His next instalment and the first release of SexOnWax in 2010 is ‘Lilly and Poppy’. Taken from the Ministry of Sound compilation ‘MOS presents SOS’ with ‘Can’t Deny The Three’ on the B-side (release March 29th, 2010).

SOS (SexOnSubstance); A concept for good and quality music, together with friends Demi and Desyn Masiello they are conquering the world. They started with their London boat parties, Ibiza residencies, and not to forget their excellent 3 hour SOS – Essential Mix (broadcasted during WMC 2006) on BBC radio 1. Having toured the world to promote the triple disc – Balance 013 in 2008, they are now back in full swing touring to promote their double CD for Ministry of Sound UK, released 15th February 2010.

Location: Berlin, Germany
Format: Live @ Régine
Duration: 48 min
Size: 66.2 MB

‘Growing Up’ in Germany’s techno and acid-house heyday, Steve Bug’s love for a perfect groove is as apparent now as it was back then. From the very early days DJjing in Bremen and Hamburg it was clear there was a strong talent waiting to be nurtured. With a bit of encouragement from Superstition’s Tobias Lampe, Steve’s very first productions were released in 1993 and his musical story began. Besides this his DJ skills and keen, innovative, ear led him not down the typical path of the early nineties trance and harder dance scene, but towards a fresher, hybrid sound merging stripped deep house, tweaked out acid and more minimal forms of techno.
The result was the first ‘wave’ for Steve, as his Raw Elements label, debut album ‘Volksworld’, and the classic compilation ‘Da Minimal Funk’ lifted his sound and his name through the ranks. Further compilations and singles followed, as did the growth of the Raw Elements label alongside artists like Vincenzo, Märtini Brös and more, continually surprising and re-inventing the template for the genre.
In 1999 Steve broke yet more boundaries with the launch of Poker Flat records, and his classic ‘Loverboy’. Introducing a darker, yet totally funky and grooving sound, this minimal club hit opened Steve’s eyes to new territories and new possibilities. Needless to say the Poker Flat imprint still runs strong today, over a decade since its inception, and Steve now stands as a figure head for the hugely poular ‘minimal-tech-house’ sound that the label pioneered. His first album for Poker Flat, entitled ‘The Other Day’ stands as a testament to this futuristic, melting pot of sounds and ideas, where musical diversity and experimentation meet soothing night-time dubs and dancefloor workouts!
As musical partners to the Poker Flat sound, his labels Dessous and later Audiomatique evolved – Dessous catering for more classic deep-house sounds fused with cutting edge production from top artists, while Audiomatique, standing for a very modern house and techno sound, allowed even crazier moments to be explored – and so all corners of his love for the 4/4 beat were expressed, presented in the upmost quality. Countless productions, remixes and one-off studio sessions with key producers ensued, all carrying the Bug’s name further afield, and higher up the musical ladder.
The essential ‘Bugnology’ mix series (now in its third installment), along with high profile mix cds for Cocoon, Fabric, FUSE and more, continued to rouse support for Bug’s much in-demand DJ style, and propelled him further across the globe, touring far and wide. All the while his by now trademark studio sound continued to earn him credit, with his next album ‘Sensual’ and singles like ‘The Smackman EP’, ‘Wet’n'Dry’, ‘A World Without Cru Sauvage’ and ‘Silicon Ballet’ with Clé, all upping the ante.
The past season has also been a typically busy one, compiling the compilations ‘Dead Man’s Hand’, and the 10 year anniversary comp ‘All In’ for Poker Flat, as well as an exclusive digital album celebrating ‘Time Flies -The Best of Steve Bug 1998-2008′. Excitingly, his latest artist album ‘Collaboratory’ is set to drop in June 09, featuring a beautiful mixture of original tracks, seeing steve work with some of his favourite producers and closest friends, from Clé to Cassy, Donnacha Costello to Simon Flower and more! Watch out for news on this and Steve’s other activities as we approach what’s set to be another non-stop summer in Bug town!

Josh Wink has always run ahead of the pack, as a DJ, label owner, producer, remixer, and artist. With the release of Profound Sounds Vol. 2, Wink continues to forge ahead, challenging established conventions of what a mix CD should be, not only by remaining true to his mercurial aesthetic as a DJ, but also taking advantage of technology to fine-tune his selections into the best possible recorded representation of Josh Wink.

“Profound Sounds Vol. 1 is one of my favorite compilations – it just happens that I made it,” says Wink of the new album’s 1999 predecessor. “It represents me, and the way I combine house and techno, in both my DJ sets and as a producer, pretty well. I’m not one for holding people to one specific genre; I love being on the median in between.”

The sound of Josh Wink today remains one of a man unafraid to walk the border between stylistic boundaries. Profound Sounds Vol. 2 starts off dark and atmospheric with “Form Is Emptiness” by Swayzak, then quickly builds momentum with the minimal and melodic Joshua Main mix of Rithma’s “Tracks for a Weirder Day.” The 73-minute mix incorporates hints of old school Chicago house (“Make A Move” by Minimal Man), electro (“E Series 2” by Frankie Bones), and even Latin and tribal house (“Auburn” by David Alvarado). Perhaps the finest example of Wink’s refusal to limit his play list to any one genre comes at the three-quarter mark, when he integrates Aaron Carl’s paean to house music, “The Word,” over techno-flavored tracks courtesy of Rino Cerrone and Mr. G.

Unlike most of the mix CDs clogging the shelves, Profound Sounds Vol. 2 doesn’t attempt to cash in on the latest trends or mega-hits. “We could have gone that route, and signed a couple of really big tracks, and put a sticker on the front that says, ‘Includes the hit so-and-so…,’ and everybody would go, ‘Oh, I know that one,’” Wink admits. “But my integrity as an artist doesn’t allow me to do that. I used tracks on this compilation that span a big period of time: Some older ones, some newer ones, and some unreleased.” And he made sure to include a few more of his own cuts this time around, including the hypnotic modulations of “Oakish,” the Blakkat remix of “Superfreak (Freak),” and his own South Philly Acid Pass redux of Dave Clarke’s driving “Compass.”

But making Profound Sounds Vol. 2 didn’t just begin and end with picking the tracks and sequencing them in a suitable order. After that step, he tailored every cut to meet his specific requirements for this mix. “Every track is re-edited as a Josh Wink re-edit. I don’t end up compromising the integrity of the original art, I just altered it to fit my contour.” Only after customizing each song was he ready to record the final version of the set. “In a sense, I did the mix twice,” he observes.

Towards that same end as an added value, Wink included a bonus disc to Profound Sounds Vol. 2, which features both audio and video content. The aural component includes the CD debut of four Wink productions previously available on vinyl only: The original “Superfreak (Freak),” “Evil Acid,” “How’s Your Evening So Far” (featuring Lil Louis), and “What You Mean To Me” by Range of Motion. The visual portion of the disc reveals an in-depth interview with Wink featuring studio and live footage, detailing the intricate process of making the record. “It’s important to me to let people know what I did on this to make this disc different, rather than just mixing it,” he reiterates.

Of course, diehard Wink fans expect nothing less from this artist, who has been breaking new ground for the past two decades. In the late 1980s and early ’90s, when most of the U.S. was just waking up to rave culture, Wink – who had been working as a mobile DJ in his hometown of Philadelphia since he was 13 years old – was already making his own tracks (“Tribal Confusion” by E-Culture, with his former partner King Britt) and hauling his records around the country to spin at burgeoning clubs and parties.

In 1995, Wink became one of the first DJ-producers to translate his hard work into mainstream success, when he unleashed a string of classics, including “Don’t Laugh,” “I’m Ready,” and “Higher State of Consciousness,” that topped charts worldwide, and made him a bona fide pop star in Europe. On his 1998 album, HereHear, Wink pushed boundaries even further, inviting fellow artists as diverse as Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), Caroline Crawley (Shelleyann Orphan/This Mortal Coil), and Philly poet-performer Ursula Rucker (Jazzanova, The Roots), to contribute to a far-reaching disc that ran the gamut of electronic music styles, from ambient and trip-hop to drum & bass, as well as the trademark mix of house and techno on which Wink has built his international reputation.

Since the release of the first Profound Sounds compilation in 1999, Wink has been concentrating on various projects, including continuing to oversee operations of his Ovum Recordings record label. Over the past year Josh has released another two dance floor anthems, “How’s your evening so far” and most recently “Superfreak”, both of which continue his tradition of making distinct music that catches people’s ears and inspires others to compose their own music. Although he used to bristle at requests to remix other artists (“because you sell the rights away, and don’t own them any more, even though the remix is basically all your own music), lately he’s grown to enjoy that gig more, turning out such notable overhauls as his recent reworking of “Blue Jeans” for Ladytron, Paul Oakenfold’s “Starry Eyed Surprise,” and Depeche Mode’s “Free Love.” Wink hopes to compile his favorite remix gems on a CD collection soon. He’s also working on some songs with fellow Philly denizen G. Love (as in, G. Love & Special Sauce), and hopefully further collaborations and production gigs with other like- and open-minded musicians.

“I get bored if I do the same thing” Wink concludes. “Some people get pigeonholed as being into just one thing. I hate that. When there are rules, it doesn’t become art, and it’s not fun. I’ve learned that you can’t please everybody, so I’d rather be concerned with making good art, and the people that like this art will stick with you.” Profound Sounds Vol. 2 is classic Josh Wink. It dares to be different. It is good art. And, most importantly, it is great fun.

Eduardo D’Alirio is a German/Venezuelan producer/DJ. He was born in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, where he also grew up, and moved to Germany in 2000. Since then he is living in Munich, where his interest for music has been rising more and more throughout the years.

He began making his own music at a young age, basicly learning with HipHop beats. Then he started listening to House music and introduced himself to all kind of electronic music, listening to Techno, Progressive House, Minimal and also Dubstep and Drum n Bass. His passion for the music kept rising, similar to his abilities in producing. He is now working on his first album “Building Myself“, which will be released in 2010 on Lementic Music, a label based in his hometown Munich.

Eduardo D’Alirio’s style, as a producer and as a DJ, reaches from Deep and Progressive House to Minimal and Techno, and he’s also working on some Drum n Bass and Electronica projects.
He belongs to a new generation of electronic dance music. He’s ready for new and values the old. Time will show what will happen with this young music-addict. But one is for sure. His love for music is eternal.

Raimo is a DJ and producer and co-founder of Basic Famous group. He lives in London and works at Phonica Records where he presents Phonica’s radio show with The Vangelis featuring guest mixes from artists such as Matthias Tanzmann, Andy Vaz, Pezzner, Mountain People, Ryan Elliot, Quarion, Quiet Village and Jon Sa Trinxa.

Raimo’s sound is a mixture of house and techno and his productions have taken on an eclectic vibe born from his 10+ years of electronic musical interest

To date, Raimo has showcased his work in various London hang outs and abroad in Ibiza, Sweden and Thailand. He hopes to spend more time working on his productions in 2010 and expanding his DJ portfolio. Recent gigs include Phonica 6th Birthday with Lauhaus and David Labeij, Minimal Carnival with SECRETSUNDAZE’s Giles Smith and PULP SESSIONS at Ministry of Sound with Francois K as well as supporting artists like Motorcity Soul, Alex Picone and Sebo K as a Phonica Resident.

Originally hailing from New Zealand but raised in Australia, Emerson has enjoyed tremendous success on both sides of the Tasman and is easily the most successful DJ/Producer to come out of both countries.

Emerson first got the bug to collect music very early in life as his mother owned several independent record stores. This gave him access to pretty much anything and everything he could ever want to hear.

As fate would have it, Emerson returned to New Zealand in 1996 to visit family and friends. This visit ended up lasting for seven years and, before long, he had established himself as one of the country’s top DJ’s, balancing national tours with monthly gigs back in Australia.

In 1998 he met Christiaan Ercolano and formed House of Downtown. This quickly gathered an impressive following with the success of their weekly radio show and their debut single ‘Up For the One’, which was supported by the likes of Derrick May.

The pair were soon snapped up by Universal Music who offered them their own label to run and release on. Subsequently, they produced two full-length albums. During this time, they also produced the complete movie score for UK Company Film Four (of ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ fame) for the movie ‘Stickmen’.

In 2003, Emerson relocated to Australia to concentrate on production and audio engineering, producing for other artists and leaving his own music aside for the time. It didn’t take him long to find himself at the forefront of audio engineering in Australia, working with such great bands as The Presets, The Sleepy Jackson, Teenager and Pnau.

Having now worked for both major and independent labels locally and internationally, under aliases, in groups, and producing and engineering for many world-class acts, Emerson has finally stepped out from behind the desk.

After 10 years producing and DJing, Emerson has now dedicated himself to refining his sound and cement his place at its forefront the first time.

From his early productions on Darren Emerson’s Underwater imprint, to becoming one of the latest signings on Claude VonStroke’s Dirtybird label, and now with a string of high profile releases to follow – It is clear Emerson Todd is breaking out in a big way.

Emerson has now built up a reputation that has projected him onto the international circuit. We look forward to seeing what is next in store for this talented producer.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, September 1982. Joe discovered electronic music at the age of 14 when his best friend Matias Fernandez show him a couple of House records and teach him how to mix them. A couple of years later, he was playing at the most important night clubs in Buenos Aires such as Amerika, Ryu (San Miguel), La City, Bed Baires, Club Positivo, Tokio Club (Rosario), La Esquina (Lincoln), Uniclub, Arena Club, Umma Club, Ku Olivos. He was also booked to play at big events such as BsAs Connection, DEC, Instero, ADN Alternative Tour, Alien Beat, After Tiesto, among others.

In the year 2006, he started his own radio show called Twisted Sounds on ADN Alternative Radio from Argentina. It got so great acceptance that DLA Radio (2007), USR (2007), Tracklists CA (2007), Dance Radio Greece (2008) and Inside FM (2008) decided to broadcast the show as well. Djs like Chris Lake, Paul Woolford, John Acquaviva, Sebastien Leger, Rowan Blades, Guy Gerber, Steve Lawler, Paolo Mojo, Jim Rivers, Mark Knight, Shlomi Aber, Glenn Morrison, Robert Babicz, Guy J, Eelke Kleijn, Alex Dolby, were some of the invited guests. In September 07, he achieved listeners record on DLA Radio. In the year 2008 famous radio DI.FM decides to include Twisted Sounds in the schedule. At the same time, Joe starts a new monthly show called Meet The Decline on House Pacific radio from Montreal. His sets have also been broadcasted by the best radio stations like Proton Radio, Frisky Radio, Dub Radio, FM 92.5 Uruguay, just to name a few.

He had the privilege of sharing booth with big International names such as DJ Tarkan (Turkey), Fernando Picon (Uruguay), Ignacio de Maria (USA), Sence (Hungria), Rey Santiago (Puerto Rico), Maria Paz (Colombia), Hans Tavera (Peru), and local djs like Ricky Ryan, JP Sgalia, Juan Pryor, Heatbeat, Lucas Abadi, Duo Live, Max Cagliero, Ladies on Mars, among others.

In the year 2007 he starts producing for important labels such as Home Made Electronica, Entrainment Records, Bit Records Mexico, Quimika Records, Stereo Fx, and Blue Bass Records. His releases have received the support of djs like DJ Tarkan, Facundo Mohrr, Jacco @ Work, Damina DP, Guille Quero, Luis Nieva, Nicholas Van Orton, Darin Epsilon. His track Dark Pharmacy (original mix) was charted #47 by release promo pool, Documental (original mix) was charted best of progressive @ dance fuel store (November 08), and some of his productions have been included in the Argentinean film Nocturnos.

For many years he was into House, Progressive & Electro. Today he surfes the waves of Tech House and Techno, searching for deep melodies on tech house well constructed bases. He can perfectly perform warm up as well as main hour sets, without leting anyone leave the dance floor, shooting melodies that will stuck in your head til’ next morning when you wake up.

2009 finds Joe Fisher with many confirmed presentations as DJ, presenting his monthly chart at important websites like Buenos Aliens & Clubbing Spain, and at the same time very focused on new releases which are just about to come. Be patient, this is just begining.

Marc Dosem was born in the early eighties at the heart of Catalonia, in Girona, Spain, at the beginning of an era of common use of hardware synthesizers in music and grew up with the boom of 90′s electronic dance sound. After few years of playing around with first generation personal computers during his childhood, the young Catalan started composing his first personal productions with the help of early digital music production softwares. Marc’s music influences come from the sounds of dub, house and techno and from the clubbing scene of Barcelona and Girona.
In the beginning of the year 2006, Marc started performing as a live act under the name ‘Dosem’. In a short time, his popularity grew strong amongst the Spanish scene, which led him to perform in the most important iberican clubs and festivals such as ‘Blau Club’ in Girona, ‘Nitsa Club’ in Barcelona, ‘Family Club’ in Toledo, ‘Florida 135′ in Fraga and ‘Klubbers Meeting’ in Madrid, alongside many high profile international DJs and producers.

2007 and 2008 saw Marc starting to become a key figure in electronic music production, with several tracks released on labels such as Natura Sonoris, Paradigm, Cray1 Labworks, Zenit, Antezenit, Minisketch, Parallel 125, Cutz, Upfront Records, 4Line, V-Label and his own label Soundfate. The growing popularity of Dosem confirmed his ascent as a live performer, by allowing him to perform in Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, in venues such as ‘Rex Club’ in Paris or ‘Fuse’ in Brussels.

In early 2009, Marc signed his first artist deal with high profile Hong Kong based label, Sino, which previously revealed key figures of the electronic music scene, in the name of Joris Voorn and Technasia. It will see him releasing a series of EP on the label, starting with the announced club hit ‘Silent Drop’. The launch of Dosem’s track ‘Beach Kisses’ in 2008 on Neue Lärmklassiker, supported and charted by top DJs in the likes of Tiesto, Laurent Garnier, Technasia, Joris Voorn and Angel Molina, amongst others, signed the first worldwide hit of the young Catalan artist. The track will then be re-released in 2009 on Joris Voorn’s label, Green. In the 2009 DJ Top 100 of Spanish Go Magazine, Marc was voted Best Spanish Producer of 2008.

He was born in Hungary in 1981.
Cave Sedem´s interest in music began at a very young age. When he was 12 years old he cut songs with cassette decks … At that time he learned to play the piano at primary school.

In secondary school he spent his breaks at the school radio station where he discovered CD players and turnables. He started playing in his school and self organized underground partys.

He was introduced to a Plastic City Records compilation CD : The Age Of Search And Destruction by one of his friends. The CD was compiled by the artists Terry Lee Brown Jr. and The Timewriter.This changed his thinking about music. He decided to make his own tracks with deep sounding, and minimal tunes.

He moved to Scotland short after to try and be a part of the music scene there.

Played as a resident dj in 2 clubs as a resident DJ : Club Red @ Red Star Institute events and The Hive @ Slashdot events.

After spending 2 years abroad he went back to Hungary to be one of the columns of Fairlads Digital Records, the fastest growing and much certified label of Hungary.

His first track Magnetowid was released in January 2007.
Since then he had/has several releases @
-Fairlads Digital Records
-Big&Dirty (Be Yourself Music)
-Armada Music
-Presslab Records
-FeralCode Records
-Gangsta Audio
-Ascension Records
-Soundtribe Rekords
-Level Up Records
-Follow Mix Records
-Buksi Records
-RadioCity Records
-Paria Records
-80Hz-Digital
-Teleskopik Recordings

Nowdays he spends his free time with producing and remixing.

BEN NEILL is a composer, performer, producer, and inventor of the mutantrumpet, a hybrid electro-acoustic instrument. He has been called “the mad scientist of dancefloor jazz” (CMJ), “a musical powerhouse, a serious and individual talent” (Time Out London), and “a creative composer and genius performer” (Time Out NY). Neill’s music blends electronica and jazz, blurring the lines between DJ culture and acoustic instrument performance.

Neill has recorded eight CDs of his music on the Thirsty Ear, Astralwerks, Six Degrees, Universal/Verve, New Tone and Ear-Rational labels. His most recent CD Night Science was released in September 2009. His music has been featured on numerous compilations including Wired Magazine’s “Music Futurists”. He has performed extensively in a wide variety of international settings including the Sleepless Night Miami, Cite de la Musique France, Berlin Love Parade Germany, Spoleto Festival Italy, Umbria Jazz Italy, Bang On A Can Festival New York, ICA London, Istanbul Jazz Festival Turkey and the Edinburgh Festival UK to name a few.

In Neill’s live performance, laptop computers merge his three-belled, digitally interfaced mutantrumpet with live MIDI controlled digital audio and video. In addition to controlling digital audio in real time, Neill literally plays the moving pictures, making the images an extension of his electrified horn. In 2008 Neill constructed a new mutantrumpet with the help of a residency at the STEIM Studios in Amsterdam. Neill originally worked with synth pioneer Robert Moog to design the early version of his instrument.

In 2008 Neill composed original music for two films. Guest of Cindy Sherman was produced by Sundance Channel, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, and shown in film festivals around the world. 911-911, an animated film by artist Mel Chin, premiered at Tribeca Cinemas and was presented at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2009. In 2005 Neill presented his collaboration with visual artist Bill Jones titled Palladio, an interactive movie based on Jonathan Dee’s 1998 novel of the same name. Palladio was premiered at the New Territories Festival in Glasgow, Scotland, and at the Thalia Theater/Symphony Space in New York City.

Neill is also active as a sound and installation artist. His collaborative works with Bill Jones have been exhibited in museums and galleries including Sandra Gering Gallery New York, Exit Art New York, Wellcome Gallery London and the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Neill’s installation/performance Green Machine was shown at Paula Cooper Gallery New York City. ITSOFOMO, his collaborative piece with the late artist David Wojnarowicz, has been exhibited widely in venues such as The New Museum New York and PPOW Gallery New York, and was featured in the PBS documentary Imagining America.

In 2002, Neill “made music industry history” (MSNBC News) by releasing Automotive (Six Degrees), an album entirely comprised of extended versions of music he originally wrote for Volkswagen TV and Internet commercials. He supported the release of the album by performing on an 18 city tour of the House of Blues and other major music venues in the US and Canada. Television appearances have included CNBC, Tech TV Screen Savers, Wall Street Journal Report, and Media Television Canada. Neill and Jones video remixes were presented at Sundance 2004 and have been aired on Fox TV network.

A native of North Carolina, Neill is a graduate of Manhattan School of Music. He studied composition with minimalist composer La Monte Young, and has collaborated with numerous other composers and musicians including DJ Spooky, DJ Olive, Dub War, Helmet’s Page Hamilton, Rhys Chatham, Nicolas Collins, David Behrman, John Cale, John Cage, and Coil.

Even though Autodeep might not sound too familiar for most people on the scene, the two faces behind the new project are no rookies at all. Hagen Pfennigstorf and Ulli Hammann both already have 10 years of experience in DJing, producing, event promotion and label work mostly from running one of Germany’s most influential hiphop labels from 2000 – 2007. Their rediscovered love for house music that is reflected in the Autodeep project is still young though.

With musical roots in Germany’s early 90′ rave & club scene they never really lost their interest in electronic dance music but wasn’t until late 2007 that they launched their critically acclaimed Love Hertz label and started to play regular gigs and clubnights at Hannover’s best house & techno clubnights and parties. In 2008 they initially released more techno-oriented stuff on Love Hertz under their Haterboy & Van Hagen moniker and ganined instant support by the likes of Timo Mass, Tomcraft, Toni Rios, Anderson Noise, D-Nox & Beckers, Tom Pooks and Remute.

In 2009 the Love Hertz label is going strong with a high quality output in the vein of deep minimalistic house and techno supported by international top players like Luciano, SIS, Len Faki, John Acquaviva, Magda and many many more. Meanwhile they launched their new house project Autodeep to push their very own vision of modern house music. The Autodeep sound ranges from slower, dubby and slightly discoid explorations to floor-friendly underground house grooves. The first releases are set to rock the clubs in late 2009 on well-respected international labels like Barcelona’s Galaktika Rec., the legendary german Night Drive Music imprint, Miami-based Grouper Rec. and Kolours Rec. from Detroit. So better be prepared for some hot funk from these guys straight outta Germany!

Just a guy who discovered doing music is the perfect excuse for partying every weekend and not having a real job…

Luckily some nice people seem to like the results of my lazy- and wastedness. They invite me to their places, pay me billions of dollars, private jets and 7*hotels only to make me scare their guests with some weird music. Das ist toll.

Hope this will last at least until i win in the lottery.

Elexx began his career in the early 90s on French radio stations playing techno and house. His shows gathered a large following of committed fans which eventuated in elexx making guest DJ appearances at several well known French venues.

By the mid 90s elexx had put together his own recording studio and started producing his own music, but a year later decided to head for the UK. Basing himself in Edinburgh, and with the help of local artists and friends, elexx ran club nights, his own electronic label and DJ’d at various clubs throughout Europe.

By 2006 elexx released ‘LifeCycles EP’ on AVXR-audio, with ‘Space Shuttle’ becoming a popular track both with DJ’s and clubbers. Now running Teleskopik Recordings, an online record label, elexx is currently working on a new EP, while also recently remixing tracks for various labels.

In 1986, Octad [Andrea Kalenda] starts his journey playing as DJ in numerous private parties in Rome, his town, and in many clubs around Italy. From 1986 to 1992 he’s been playing different styles such as dance, hip hop, new beat, acid house, house music and so on.

After this long trip through different styles, in 1993 he definitely changed the sound and set his interest straight to Detroit and minimal techno themes. At the end of 1995, in the own studio he produced the first project for his label “Voyager Records” jointly with Remix Records Shop in Rome and the German distribution Neuton. Resulting in his first 12″ entitled “Brain Emission EP” in January 1996.

Two years later he found another techno label called: Rough Recordings. During all these years he was working in various projects with international artists as well as producing various releases along with DJs and italian producers. In 2005 he moved to UK for join his friends Karel and Phiorio with the idea to build up a netlabel together, then called after a brainstorming in a pub in London: Metroline Recordings. One year later after its creation, he’s involved again in the birth of a new minimal techno and tech house oriented label: Metroline Limited.

DJ/Producer Omar Salgado was born in Buenos Aires in 1980. He took his first steps into the field of electronic music at the age of 18. his first contacts were made while he was living in the province of Santa Cruz in the city of Rio Gallegos, studying digital technology and midi. In 2002 he moved to the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires where he started studying music composition with electronics, motivated by the idea to produce his own music.

In 2003 he decided to start playing live some of his favorite styles: ambient, minimal techno and microhouse. His influence came from labels like Alphahouse, Einmaleins Musik, Unfoundsound, Foundsound, Rrygular, Mobilee, Minus, Microcosm, Telegraph, Esperanza, Audio808 and Igloo.

In 2006 he released two tracks for an Unfoundsound compilation and one month later he released his own ep “miniatura” on the same label. Today Omar is also working on a new project “without groove” where you experience the sounds of Ambient, IDM, Downtempo while he continues to develop his main project of minimal techno and presenting his live and dj sets.

A fusion of sounds, amalgamated in order to create different emotions. Dark and deep shadows, strong rhythmic patterns, cozy and beautiful warm melodies mixed with lazy ambiences or infinite images. A thoughtful profundity that goes far beyond the dancefloor. This is the concept of my music.

Music has been always for me something worth to live for. My first love is composing music, djing, and doing live sets. I’m into a wide range of music styles and I got a particular love for techno, house, and all its variations.

After studying classical guitar and percussions at early age, I left the studies and I got into many shades of electronic music. Then I started to create electronic music with my PC back in the ’90…

By the years I evolved my musical knowledge, searching new forms of music. At the end of the 90’s I decided to go to London to satisfy my musical appetite, to trying a new life experience, and to connect with dreamers like me. And also because where I was living at that time was quite boring for me and it was difficult to find interesting music a part from underground sources. Radio, TV, and magazines were playing and talking about meaningless music (and not only that!).

Every last Thursday night of the month I run a night called “909 NIGHT” at cafe 1001, Bricklane, in east London. The night is focused in techno, minimal techno, techouse to electronica, downtempo, dub and chill out. I’ve been playing in almost all the clubs around east London. I’ve also played outside the UK in Spain, Italy, Portugal, France, and Germany. I’ve joined also BRICKBEAT. A team composed by dj’s and producers that run various parties in east London.

I finally began to establishing my music, doing various releases in techno environment and also electronic, downtempo enviroment. I had various releases with respected labels such as: Wavetec, Archipel, Serialism, Celestial Dragon, Gumption Recordings, Blurred Vision, Essential Reload. Until now, I’ve been writing my life with my music and I will keep doing it until my last day. ;)
Peace and dub

Alex Tsiridis has grown up in both the U.K and Greece, dividing his time equally between the two. Originally producing left-field electronica (major influences noted from Warp records and others such as Four Tet and The Books) he began producing 4/4 by experimenting with samples from the traditional Greek bouzouki.

This led to his first 12″ release, Bouzouki Several on Gumption recordings. Other releases followed on Berlin’s Distcrict of Corruption and the techno giant Trapez. His releases have taken him to several clubs throughout Europe, most notably Berlin’s Watergate.

In September 2008, Tsiridis was Greece’s representative at the Red Bull Music Academy which took place in Barcelona. After this extremely valuable experience Tsiridis felt the need to develop his sound moving more into the deeper, raw side of techno, examples of which will surface soon on Kevin Gorman’s Mikrowave label, as well as others.  Also of note is his recent side-project as Slipdress, which could simply be described as bass music.

Born in Lima, Peru, this rising South American talent has had a passion for music for as long as he can remember. He’s always been fascinated by a wide range of musical styles; however he was captivated by Lima’s rave scene in 2000 and has been infatuated with it ever since.

In the early years he was influenced by the masters Sasha and John Digweed and then by the innovators of the funkier style he’s gravitated towards today, Desyn Masiello and Luke Fair. Spinning with a maturity well beyond his youthful enthusiasm, Paul Trelles is wowing the underground with deep, sexy and smooth sounds that are all class.

Paul has been invited to spin at local clubs like G-Lounge (Gotica), Home (Pt. Hermosa), MAIN (Asia), Mama’s Bar (Asia), Voluntarios Bar (Miraflores). But it’s his private party sets that have become legendary to his local crew and have helped him fine tune his skills which are now enjoyed on airwaves well beyond the Peruvian borders.

Since he introduced himself to the EDM scene as FunkMedia in 2007, Paul has delivered a steady stream of quality mixes that have garnered the attention of a worldwide audience. Recently, he’s been invited to play on globally recognized radio shows such as Proton Radio (USA), Radio 1 (Dubai), Afterhours 99.1FM (Peru), Planeta.FM (Poland), Pure.FM (USA) and the list just continues to grow.
His acute ear for quality house has also led Paul to work as A&R for three labels, Brown Eyed Boyz Records (France), In Deep Records (Poland) and Cromarti Records (USA). With the support of these super cool labels, and so much already accomplished at such a young age, expect to hear the name Paul Trelles for a long time to come.

One of the main faces of Argentina’s rising techno scene of promising young artists is Pablo Denegri, from Buenos Aires. Having created in 2004 the audiovisual collective “Tekhne” alongside Vj Milena Pafundi and Qik, his career as a visual artist has been an active one, working for many important techno and electronic art festivals and events (Mutek, Creamfields…)

Throughout the years Pablo has also developed a distinguishable style in minimal techno-house, presenting his live sets and sharing booths with artists such as Seph, Dario Zenker, Jeremy Caulfield, Dewalta, Dilo, etc. His first performance was in Mutek Buenos Aires in 2007 and since then his name has been seen in releases of the labels Igloo-rec (Arg), Dumb Unit (Ger), Esperanza (Spain), between others.

Having gained a considerable amount of respect after two releases with Seph, his latest dub duet with Mekaz, and his position as host and resident of the underground techno hideout Aula Magna in Buenos Aires, Pablo will be presenting his live set for the first time in europe.

His production work has been internationally supported by many of the world’s leading tastemakers including James Zabiela, Miss Nine, Jaytech, Jay Lumen, The Scum Frog, Derek Howells, Luke Porter, Royal Sapien and countless others. Regular listeners of Frisky and Proton radio will no doubt have heard his work, with tracks being widely showcased among mixes for these stations on a weekly basis. Another high point worth a mention was when one of his remix’s received airtime on the largest radio station in the UK, featuring on the Radio 1 Essential Selection with James Zabiela.

Not content with many releases on numerous labels including Americas largest electronic music label System Recordings and the excellent UK based Modifi Music he also runs his own independent label Type Six Recordings. Launching in mid 2009 Type Six is a gateway for Trim The Fat’s production work to take on any shape or form his warped mind can conceive.

A world-renowned progressive house and remix act, was conceived in the bowels of Bristol, UK in early 1993. DJ and producer Jody Wisternoff had just been introduced to Nick Warren, and after a few hours in the studio together, they realized they had a common musical vision. Jody Wisternoff and Nick Warren have also maintained careers as successful DJs, both individually and together as Way Out West.
Jody’s first collaboration with Nick, under the name Sub-version 3, was on a track called “Paradise is the Sound” which he and a friend had been working on. The next two releases were under the name “Echo” and the most popular versions were titled “Way Out West Mix.” Originally intended as a remix project, the duo took a liking to the name and adopted it for the main act.

James Barton (A&R for Deconstruction in 1994) was suitably impressed with independent releases such as “shoot” and “Montana” and signed them to Deconstruction – the only label Nick and Jody wished to join. “Ajare,” a tune that hinted at what was to come with pop hooks, bizarre samples, meticulate synth stabs, and epic hindu swirlings, reached #62 in the UK singles chart. The harder, trancier “Domination” followed before “The Gift” charted at #15 and established Way Out West as one of the foremost house acts in the UK. “Blue,” a melodic trip-hop groove, was released with a menacing club mix in 1997. “Ajare” was also re-released with an impressive new remix from the boys themselves and Brothers in Rhythm (a.k.a. Dave Seaman).

Way Out West’s first eponymous album, “Way Out West”, was released in 1997 to huge critical acclaim. With this album, Way out West tiptoed effortlessly into the gap between the mainstream and raveland and produced one of the finest British house albums yet released. Tracks such as “King of the Funk” and “Sequoia” seemed to provide the perfect summer soundtrack. The single “Blue” was seen on TV with its bizarre video featuring cult actor Harry Dean Stanton. Nick and Jody set off on tour and played high-powered live shows all over Europe (including Glastonbury Festival, Amsterdam (MTV party) and MIDEM in France).

After BMG graciously (sic) removed Way out West from their roster in December 2000 due to disappointing returns from the “PlayThe Fall” (samples the chill-out classic “Autumn Leaves” by Coldcut) single released earlier that year, Distinctive Records offered Way out West a three-album contract.

Their second album Intensify, released in 2001, a masterwork of swirling atmospherics, big trancy beats and a musical sensibility previously unprecedented within the genre, found a new home and was set for release in the UK on August 13th with the single of the same name (featuring the vocal talents of Ally Kennen) to be released the preceding week. The album appeared in the Dotmusic top 100 charts for that week, so it had obviously turned some heads. The album was released in North America by Nettwerk the following month. The next single, “PlayMindcircus,” featuring the vocals of Tricia Lee Kelshall, was released to a great fanfare in March of 2002 and managed to hit #39 in the UK singles charts and #1 in the UK dance charts. It’s success continued by reaching #15 in the US dance charts. The loungecore “PlayStealth,” possibly the finest moment on Intensify and featuring the angelic vocals of Kirsty Hawkshaw, was set to be the final single from the album, released on September 2nd.

The duo released their third full length album in 2004, “Don’t Look Now, featuring the vocalist Omi on several tracks, and further defining their progressive sound to include more conventional song structures in addition to their drawn out compositions. The album also included a mix CD, displaying the duo’s continued participation in the DJ scene.

Their song “PlayDon’t Forget Me” has been featured in Season 2 of Grey’s Anatomy, and a loop of their song “The Gift” is used for the title theme on the MTV show True Life.

In the summer of 2006 Jody Wisternoff released a solo work, “PlayCold Drink, Hot Girl” which was followed up in November 2006 with “Nostalgia”, both of which were critically acclaimed works.

Nick Warren’s seventh (a record) Global Underground offering is due for release at the end of February 2007 and features two mixes inspired by the underground house clubs of Paris, France. Some of the music comes from Bristol label Hope Records, which Nick has recently joined in an A&R capacity. Nick has also been working on some projects of his own including a well received track with American DJ Jimmy Van M called “ONE AND ONLY”.

The duo’s long-awaited fourth album, titled “We Love Machine,” will be released on October 6, 2009. The song “Only Love” featuring Jonathan Mendelsohn on vocals (the album marks their first collaboration with a male vocalist) is the first single off the album, released August 31, 2009. The album will be released on Hope Recordings, but the duo have set up a direct pre-order with a deluxe version available at their own website: www.wayoutwest.mu. The duo is also planning a live tour…

Previous gigs have seen Ed rocking crowds from London to New York and Hong Kong, his sets seamlessly cross and break boundaries; blending multi genres with DMC finalist turntablist skills into an unique style, making each set a new experience for his listeners. Ed spends countless hours looking for those special records that make his style like no other, always looking in between the cracks to find things others have often missed, this is what really makes his sets stand out from the rest. You may not always know what to expect when Ed hits the decks, but you will always remember…

Ed is also a very gifted producer, lecturing in Ableton and Logic Studio in his spare time. His tracks have recently been signed to Dj Rap’s Impropa Talent and Ricky Ryan’s Avangardia / Sick Watona Imprints. He has also received praise from some of the worlds best Djs for his tracks, counting Richie Hawtin, Luke Fair and Desyn Masiello as proud moments. Ed feels this is only the beginning of his production talents and we will be seeing a lot more in the future.

01. Deadbeat – Deep Structure
02. Stalker – Redlamp 9c
03. Lusine – Two Dots (Pezzner Remix)
04. Bat For Lashes – Daniel
05. Sis – Nesrib
06. M. Popoviciu and Jay Bliss and Pagal – Eucalipt
07. Carlo Lio – Sour Diesel
08. Chris Querido – She’s Dancing
09. Patrick Zigon – Under Surface
10. Oliver Koletzki feat Fran – Hypnotized
11. Itamar Sagi – One Million Oaks
12. Ed Lee – Cymbals
13. Booka Shade – Outskirts (Trentemøller Remix)
14. Jerome Sydenham, Nagano Kitchen – Destination Nagano (Joris Voorn Remix)
15. Andry Nalin – Cmon (Straight Forward Mix)
16. Size – Koebel (Nihad Tule Remix)
17. Joris Voorn – Sweep The Floor
18. Lee Burridge and Steve Porter – Raw Dog
19. Applescal – Music For Her
20. Ears Bat For Lashes – The Big Sleep
21. Sistema – Tears Behind The Window
22. Henry Saiz – Lex Naturalis
23. Tal M Klein – Party Block Rocker (Tal M Klein Remix)

Chris Liebing is dj, producer, radio host of a weekly show and the driving force behind the labels CLR and Spinclub Recordings. His sound has continuously evolved during his dj career, always true to his Techno roots. He was one of the first djs that used the new possibilities in the course of the digitalization of music in a consequent and creative way. The real-time manipulation of the individual elements plays an important role in his sets. Due to the good co-operation with various software and hardware makers, his current setup offers him practically endless possibilities. He is a worldwide requested dj and also part of the Collabs live act, together with the Dutch producer Speedy J. His productions and remixes appear in the play lists of numerous renowned djs. Hereafter some milestones in his career:

It all started 1990 in the area of Giessen / Germany when he was mainly playing Hip Hop, Soul, Pop and House. His growing passion for electronic music caused the opening of his own club named Spinclub in 1994. At this time he also gathered his first studio experiences and founded the label Soap Records alongside with friends. A job at Eye Q Records in Frankfurt provided him with useful experiences and contacts in the Techno scene. When he was called to fill in for a friend at the legendary Omen club, he received enthusiastic reactions from the crowd. From this day until the closing of the club in 1998, he used to play there on a regular basis together with many international djs.

In 1996 Chris left Eye Q and founded his first label called Audio. Before the label´s closure in spring 1999, they released 17 tracks, amongst them his productions Audio 07 and Audio 11, which received worldwide recognition. At the same time Chris developed a new passion by presenting his first radio show Evosonic Update which supplied the party crowd every Friday afternoon with party tips and vinyl critics on the radio station Evosonic. In 1999 his well-established label CLR was founded. This was the time when he also started to receive top rankings in various categories of the reader polls of the popular music magazines, amongst them “best national dj”, “best remixer” and “best producer” on a regular basis.

In the beginning of 2001 he founded the pure remix label “CLRetry” and released mixes by producers like Marco Carola, Gaetano Parisio, Adam Beyer, Steve Rachmad, Speedy J., Chris Mc Cormack, DJ Rush, Ian J. Richardson and Ben Sims. In 2002 he started to work on his first artist album and the CLR website www.cl-rec.com went online. From then on the CLR office took care of his exclusive booking and the labels. When his album “Evolution“ was released by the middle of 2003 it received massive media attention and enthusiastic critics.

This summer many things started moving, for example on Ibiza. After playing for the first four Cocoon Ibiza residencies, this year Chris played for Carl Cox. In the following years 2004 and 2005 he co-hosted Mauro Picotto´s Meganite at Privilege, where he also hosted the first and promising Spinclub season (named after his club in Giessen) in 2006. In the following year the Spinclub continued at Space. Inspired by the successful season at Space, the label Spinclub Recordings was founded in the beginning of 2008. The first residency of the Spinclub Radio Show started in summer of the same year on the radio station Ibiza Sonica. Due to the big success, another weekly slot on Ibiza Global Radio followed in December.

Since 2005 Chris produces in his own (obviously “state of the art” :) studio in Frankfurt. In the same year a productive and still persisting friendship between him and Speedy J. began, which so far resulted in the album Metalism on Novamute and various singles. The current releases have just come out and there are plans for another Collabs album.

For 2009 Chris and his team have many plans. 10 years of CLR must be celebrated. Besides many releases and special events, Chris will play his new residency at „Be at Space“ on Ibiza, every thursday.

Leigh moved to London in 1997 wishing to become involved in the industry. It was not long before he met Jason Moore (at the time resident DJ for Journeys By DJ) who offered him warm up slots at nights like Phil Perry’s ‘Sound of The Suburbs’ where Leigh became resident. Later on Jason and Leigh set up a night called Urban Torque at the notorious club Heaven, with guest djs such as Lee Burridge, Juan Atkins, Craig Richards and Danny Howells. 1999 also saw Leigh step up in to major gigs such as the Essential Xmas Party alongside Pete Tong and Felix Da Housecat. He also deejayed for Defected on their tour at Ministry of Sound. In 2000 he completed his debut production: Facedown ‘Lost / Think About Me’ subsequently signed to Junior Boys Own. Shortly after, Leigh became a resident at Headstart, with a monthly slot at Full Circle. The following year Jason Moore created Urban Torque Recordings. As label and A&R manager, Leigh has been committed to the label’s development both musically and as a business.

Urban Torque quickly became a critically acclaimed label. Leigh’s weekly show, Transmissions, is now syndicated across the world. He has also headlined many Urban Torque parties across Europe: from Belfast (Yello) to Sonar, Budapest (Prive & White Angel), Macedonia and Bratislavia, without forgetting Las Vegas, New York (Cielo) and Dubai (Audio Tonic). His first mix compilation: Urban Torque Vol 1 became one of iTunes best Dance compilations of 2008. His productions with Scope have gathered feedback and plays from the likes of Nick Warren, Danny Howells, Hernan Cattaneo and Laurent Garnier.

In 1992 Tommi Bass moved to Wales to start his Degree in Fine Art at the famous Newport School Of Art. This is where he really began to DJ and he was instrumental in setting up illegal partys in the Welsh Forests and unused warehouses. At these parties he would play the freshest Detroit Techno… then later he switched to playing the new U.K Urban sound called Jungle Breakbeat.

Tommi Bass played out in select underground clubs around Wales plus parts of the U.K playing Darkstep..which later evolved into Techstep Drum&Bass. At the end of his Degree in 1996 he built his own studio and continued to experiment with sound.

This is when he teamed up with Mark Stretfield who is the label owner of Rednetic Recordings London.

In 2000 Tommi Bass stopped playing Drum&Bass after he saw DJ Kool Herc perform at the Famous TJ’s Nightclub in Newport Wales. “DJ kool Herc blew me away with his selection of funk breaks…it was profound”

This was a period of reflection for Tommi as he begain to quickly build up his Funk collection to play out in music bars and small underground clubs in Wales.

Tommi Played out the Funk and Northern Soul untill he built a brand new recording studio in 2004, this is when he began to produce “Experimental Techno” music again. Since 2006 Tommi has had a constant stream of “Experimental Techno” published on various indie dance music labels.

In 2008 Tommi Bass moved to Berlin to get closer to the “Berlin Techno Sound”. Its been a long road of personal discovery for this renagade DJ/Producer and the best is yet to come as he slowly picks up steam in the City he loves with all his heart… Berlin.

balErik has also been running Kikki boat parties in Oslo. Inspired by the annual Tiki boat parties during.WMC in Miami which SOS always headline, balErik is recreating these memorable boat parties which cruise along the beautiful Oslo fjord. Last year Rowan Blades and balErik teamed up for a five hour back to back season and this year his Discoteca mate Tom Morgan will be taking over the decks on the Ms. Bjorvika  along with balErik and the boat of full of eager party goers. For more information on this event please visit http://www.kikkiboat.com/
balErik has played with some of the best DJs in the world including Desyn Masiello, Omid16B, Demi, Danny Howells, Rowan Blades, Luke Fair, Nic Fanciulli, Audiofly, Yousef to name a few. balErik’s blend of deep house and driving techno music has taken him to gigs around the world in places such as London, Russia,  Poland, Croatia, San Francisco, Miami, Bulgaria, Finland, Sweden and Latvia.

balErik dedicates all his spare time to his musical passion. Whether he is making music, hunting for tunes, promoting for his next party, doing edits or special remixes music is always on his mind.  His dedication has gained him support from the likes of Digweed, Deep Dish, Behrouz and Nic Fanciulli and Desyn Masiello, who gave him a position as A&R for his Alternative Route record label because of his keen ear for finding amazing new tracks.

In 2007 balErik set up a new digital label, Discoteca Music, with his partners Dana Bergquist, Tom Morgan, Luke Fair and Somnus corp. The label has numerous successful releases including two that are included on Renaissance and Global Underground compilations. As Discoteca Music grows in popularity with each EP released, balErik is making sure this momentum keeps growing by finding the artists of today who are making the music of tomorrow.  He incorporates all these musical gems into his sets which make them so unique, a nice blend of old and new, tech and house and everything in between mixed in such a fluid way your body just can’t stop moving!